Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Meghan Mulcahy assumed the role as Director of Athletics for Oklahoma Panhandle State University in the fall of 2017 and has been on staff with the Aggies since 2012. Mulcahy came to OPSU after stints at West Virginia University Institute of Technology and Southern Methodist University.
 
If there are two words that have been the hallmark of Mulcahy’s tenure as the Aggies’ A.D., they would be: Success and Growth. Both have occurred at a rate unprecedented in OPSU athletics history under her leadership, both in the classroom and on the fields of competition.
 
First and foremost, Mulcahy guided the Panhandle State athletics transition to full NAIA and Sooner Athletic Conference membership. This important step included opportunities for post-season play on both the league and national levels, as well as post-season honors in both, for Aggie student-athletes.
 
Mulcahy’s influence can also be seen in physical upgrades around the athletics facilities. Construction of a state-of-the-art shooting sports facility and field turf installation – along with numerous cosmetic renovations – took place in Carl Wooten Field at Anchor D Stadium. Anchor D Arena at Oscar Williams Field House has also seen a face lift in the lobby, locker rooms and the arena itself. Mulcahy also supervised renovation of a new weight room and athletics department offices.
 
Mulcahy’s comprehensive marketing and outreach strategic plan have also been evident. The Belly Open Golf Tournament – the department’s main fundraiser – has enjoyed its most successful time under her guidance, in terms of both fiscal results and numbers of donors and corporate partners who support the event by their gifts. Likewise, a comprehensive sponsorship and ticket sales package has grown exponentially under her.

In the Covid-shortened 2019-20 school year, Mulcahy worked tirelessly to make sure that the OPSU programs remained a focal point and the student-athletes were a top priority. Despite the abbreviated spring competition, the Aggie programs achieved much success, both on the field and in the classroom. 17 athletes earned all-conference honors, along with one all-America accolade. Mulcahy also oversaw the ushering in of soccer - men's and women's - as intercollegiate sports in 2019, with men's soccer joining OPSU volleyball in qualifying for SAC post-season play. Women's soccer earned the USC Team Ethics & Sportsmanship award. The Aggies' athletics logo - designed by Mulcahy - won the NAIA LogoWars contest, as well, during an eight-week voting competition.

While the virus may have derailed a portion of the 2019-20 year on the fields, Mulcahy made sure that Panhandle State teams remained engaged in campus and community Servant Leadership activities. OPSU teams and staff rolled up better than 2,300 hours of service projects and the baseball team was voted the SAC Team of Character award winner.

That success extended into the classroom, where eight OPSU teams earned SAC and NAIA Scholar-Team status. In all, Aggie student-athletes garnered a total of  138 academic-based awards in their sports. 
 
In 2018-19, the teams hit a high-water mark when every NAIA-sponsored program for the Aggies either played in a Sooner Athletic Conference post-season competition or was in a game to decide the SAC title. Four teams – volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and softball – all qualified for post-season play via their regular season finishes, while five others (men’s & women’s cross country, competitive cheerleading and men’s & women’s golf) all participated in post-season competition as a part of their schedule. Additionally, the 2018 football team played for the SAC championship in its season finale.
 
The 2018-19 men’s and women’s rodeo teams both finished the year ranked No. 2 in the Central Plains region. Both also qualified to send teams to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo.
 
OPSU success was infectious! Football had its second-consecutive winning season in 2018, garnered an all-American and produced seven All-SAC honors. Women’s basketball reached double-digit wins for the second-straight season, after not doing so since 2007-08. Men’s basketball had its most wins (16) since 2002-03, along with producing four All-SAC honorees, and an All-American/NAIA All-Star game MVP in Bre Alexander. Volleyball’s SAC playoff bid was its first conference post-season play in program history and baseball made a second-straight SAC playoff appearance. The OPSU softball team – with Mulcahy as its coach – had a winning record for the first time in program history, hit the 30-win mark for just the second time on record and also reached the conference tourney for a second-consecutive season.
 
The year also produced expansion of the Panhandle program profile, as it was announced that men’s and women’s soccer would be added to the intercollegiate roster for 2019-20. That brought the Aggie number of offerings to 16 programs under Mulcahy’s tutelage. Competitive cheerleading made its debut for the Aggies in 2018-19, as well. Expansion into shooting sports is also on the OPSU athletics’ horizon.
 
In 2017-18, her first year at the Panhandle State Athletics helm, Mulcahy began to see immediate fruits of her leadership efforts. In 2017, after winning just two games the year before Mulcahy took charge of the athletics program, the Aggies’ football team went 7-3 overall. Women’s basketball won 14 games in missed out on the SAC tourney based on a tie-breaker, while the Aggie men had a double-figure win total (11) for the first time since 2009-10. The spring brought landmark success, as softball and baseball both reached the SAC post-season tournament. Softball gained its first berth since 2008 and baseball made its first-ever conference championship tourney appearance on record. The Aggies rodeo team won its seventh college national championship in program history, as well, capping Mulcahy’s inaugural year as Director of Athletics.
 
In addition to serving as the Panhandle State softball head coach from 2013-2019, she was also the assistant softball coach in 2012. Mulcahy was the Aggies’ Senior Woman Administrator and gameday coordinator during her time in the Red and Blue.
 
In the classroom during 2017-18, six of the OPSU teams were recognized as SAC Scholar Team awards, accruing a 3.0 team GPA in conference-sponsored sports. In all, 21 student-athletes were voted to academic all-conference teams, with 98 earning a spot on the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll (3.0 GPA or better).
 
Originally from Dallas, Texas, Mulcahy is a graduate of Nicholls State University, where she earned her BA in Psychology in 2007 and went on to obtain a MS in Kinesiology in 2009 from the University of North Texas. As an intern at SMU, Mulcahy was an assistant for the Mustangs’ CHAMPS/Life Skills Program and compliance.
 
Mulcahy is a member of the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and serves on numerous campus leadership committees. She is a resident of Goodwell, Okla.
 
Hometown
    -Peachtree City, GA
    -Graduated from McIntosh High School in 2002
Education
    -Nicholls State University (Thibodaux, LA) 2007, BA Psychology
    -University of North Texas (Denton, TX) 2009, MS Kinesiology
Playing Career
    -University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Wilmington, NC) 2002-2004
    -Nicholls State University (Thibodaux, LA) 2004-2006
Coaching & Work
    -Nicholls State University
                2006-2007: Student Assistant Coach
    -University of North Texas
                2007: Graduate Assistant Coach
                2008-2009: Assistant Coordinator for CHAMPS/Life Skills Program
                2008-2009: Teaching Fellow
    -Southern Methodist University
                2010: Assistant Coordinator for CHAMPS/Life Skills Program & Compliance Intern
    -West Virginia University Institute of Technology
                2011: Assistant Coach
    -Oklahoma Panhandle State University
                2011-2012: Assistant Coach & Adjunct Instructor
                2013-2019: Head Coach
                2017-pres.: Director of Athletics