15 minute read
Support Staff
Natasha Oakes
Sport Administrator
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Natasha Oakes’ tenure as Senior Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) for West Virginia University began on Aug� 15, 2022� Oakes serves on Lyons’ senior staff and oversees the department’s areas of sport governance, gender equity and Title IX initiatives� She represents the department as its Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) on Big 12 and NCAA governance groups and serves as the sport administrator for women’s basketball and Olympic Sports� As the department’s chief diversity officer, she directs and coordinate the department’s efforts to advance DEI initiatives and oversee the Every Mountaineer Committee� She also serves on various department and University committees and represents WVU Athletics on NCAA and national professional committees� Oakes comes to West Virginia from North Texas where she has been since 2017� In her most recent role there as the executive senior associate athletics director, she oversaw all areas of NCAA, Conference USA and institutional compliance for all 16 Mean green athletic teams� In addition to her compliance responsibilities, Oakes was the senior woman administrator (SWA), Title IX deputy coordinator, chief diversity officer and had oversight of the men’s and women’s cross country/track and field programs. At North Texas, she was chair of the NCAA Division I Progress Toward Degree Waivers Committee, and subcommittee chair of the NCAA Division I Track and Field and Cross Country group� Additionally, she was a board member for the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association and served on the Legislation and governance Committee� Before North Texas, Oakes worked at Missouri Western State University from 2014-2017, where she was the associate athletic director for internal operations and SWA� As a member of the athletics senior staff, she had direct sport supervision over nine sports, while also overseeing the compliance, academics and Title IX needs of the department� Prior to her time at Missouri Western, Oakes worked at the NCAA for four years (2010-2014) as an assistant director of academic and membership affairs� In that role, she was responsible for providing legislative interpretations, conducting rules education, and overseeing the legislative relief waiver process� Oakes got her start in collegiate athletics at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) in 2004 as the Assistant Commissioner for Compliance and Internal Operations� With the MIAA, she managed compliance and governance matters, while also serving as a championship manager for select spots and working with conference budget and financial affairs. The Topeka, Kansas, native earned her master’s degree in sport and fitness management from Missouri Western State University and her bachelor’s degree in business from Emporia State University, where she was a track and field student-athlete. Additionally, Oakes is a graduate of the prestigious Dr� Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute, which was formerly known as the NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females�
Meghan Bielich
Meghan Bielich joined the Mountaineers as the Director of Basketball Operations/Assistant to the Head Coach in the spring of 2019� Bielich arrived in Morgantown after spending the 2018-19 season at Pitt, where she served as the Director of Video and Creative Content� Her duties for the Panthers included coordinating film exchange, film breakdown and assisting with scouting reports� Additionally, she was the camp director for the Lance White Basketball Camp� It marked her second stint at Pitt, as she previously served as the Director of Women’s Basketball Operations from 2011-13� In that role, Bielich coordinated all team travel, oversaw the distribution of equipment, coordinated practice and game times, scheduled community service activities, assisted with on-campus recruiting and served as a liaison to the marketing and promotions staff� She was also in charge of the Agnus Berenato Summer camps� Bielich served as the Video Coordinator from 2006-11 and was an interim assistant coach in 2010� Prior to her return to Pittsburgh, Bielich spent three seasons as the Video Coordinator at Texas Tech� While with the Lady Raiders she was in charge coordinating film exchange, the production of recruiting and highlight videos, the creation of video playbooks, assisting with scouting reports and assisting the head coach with daily activities in addition to other assignments� Bielich spent the 2014-15 season as the Assistant to the Head Coach at the University of Akron and was the head junior varsity coach and
assistant varsity coach for the girls’ basketball team at Bethel Park Senior High from 2013-14� A native of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Bielich earned her bachelor’s degree in communication from Clarion University in 2006 before graduating with a master’s in sports management from California University of Pennsylvania in 2011�
Bernadette Devaney
Director of Recruiting
Devaney joined the WVU women’s basketball staff on July 10, 2022, after serving as an assistant coach at Lehigh for the previous three seasons� Prior to that, she served as the director of operations for the LU women’s basketball team for the 2018-19 season� During her four seasons at LU, the Mountain Hawks had an overall record of 69-38� Primarily responsible for recruiting and working with the Mountain Hawk perimeter players, Bernadette coached two All-Patriot League players in 2021-22, with guard Mackenzie Kramer and forward Emma grothaus being named second-team honorees� Both players were also members of the Academic All-Patriot League team, with Kramer also being named the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year� With Devaney’s guidance during the 2020-21 season, Lehigh captured the program’s fourth Patriot League Championship, and secured its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010, following a 64-54 victory over Boston University� guards Frannie Hottinger and Mary Clougherty earned Second Team All-Patriot League selections, while both also were named to the Academic All-Patriot League teams� Freshman Mackenzie Kramer was a member of the Patriot League All-Rookie team, the program’s first honoree since 2016. During her playing career, Devaney appeared in 111 games over four seasons as a member of the Mountain Hawks from 2014-2018� She ranked second on the team by shooting 37�8% from 3-point range and 82�4% from the free-throw line� She scored a career-high 20 points on two occasions, going 6-of-9 overall and 6-of-8 from 3-point range vs� Mount St� Mary’s (11/29/17), and scored 20 again vs� Loyola (2/21/18) with a 7-of-10 shooting performance� A native of Cooper City, Florida, Devaney earned her bachelor’s degree in business management with a minor in sociology from Lehigh in May 2018, before receiving her master’s degree in sociology from LU in May 2020�
Tyler VanWinkle
Video Coordinator
Tyler VanWinkle joined the women’s basketball staff as the video coordinator on April 29, 2022� He came to Morgantown after spending the previous two seasons as the graduate assistant for the Illinois State women’s basketball program� Prior to that, he was a student manager from 2018-20� While serving as the graduate assistant for ISU, VanWinkle was a member of a staff that led the Redbirds to the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship and the NCAA Tournament in 202122. The squad also made its first postseason WNIT appearance since 2012-13 during his first year as a GA and went 73-45 during his four total seasons with the team� Additionally, he contributed to the individual development of two All-MVC guards the 2022 MVC Tournament MVP JuJu Redmond during his time at Illinois State� His other duties included assisting the team’s video coordinator with team and individual practice film, game film and opponent scouting. VanWinkle also assisted with opponent scouting, practice planning, game preparation, player development, recruiting, in-game analytics, team travel and operations while at ISU� A native of New Paris, Ohio, VanWinkle completed his bachelor’s in business administration from Illinois State in 2020� He went on to earn his master’s in sport management from ISU in 2022�
Zack Allen
Strength Coach
Zack Allen enters his sixth season as the strength and conditioning coach for the Mountaineer women’s basketball team� In addition to women’s basketball, Allen handles the strength and conditioning responsibilities for the WVU tennis team� Prior to his arrival in Morgantown in June 2017, Allen served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, for two years� While with Army, he oversaw the max strength and power programs for men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, men’s and women’s track & field and rifle. Allen demonstrated and taught proper techniques, while helping download and analyze data to help student-athletes enhance their performance� Allen served as a graduate assistant in the strength and conditioning department at Michigan State from 2013 to 2015� With the Spar-
tans, he was responsible for designing and implementing strength programs for women’s soccer and women’s gymnastics� He holds certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the American Red Cross in First Aid, CPR/AED� Allen also is certified by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association� Allen is a 2011 graduate of Lock Haven University with a bachelor’s degree in recreation management� He completed his master’s degree in kinesiology with a strength and conditioning specialization from Michigan State in 2015� He and his wife, Elizabeth, reside in Morgantown� The couple have two sons, Maximus and Atlas, and a daughter, Calliope�
Dylan Byrum
Athletic Trainer
Dillon Byrum joined West Virginia University’s athletic training staff in May 2021 and currently serves as the athletic trainer for the Mountaineer women’s basketball program� Byrum’s responsibilities include dayto-day care, rehabilitation and injury prevention� He arrived at WVU after serving as an assistant athletic trainer at Davidson College, providing daily medical coverage for the Wildcats’ baseball and field hockey teams. Prior to his work at Davidson, Byrum also spent time on the athletic training staff at gardner-Webb University, where he worked with the women’s basketball and women’s cross country/track and field teams� Byrum received his Master of Science in health exercise and sport sciences from The Citadel in 2018, while working as a graduate assistant certified athletic trainer with football and wrestling. Byrum also earned his bachelor’s degree in athletic training from Western Carolina University in 2016� During his time at WCU, he worked as an athletic training student at Davidson, working with the women’s basketball team, and at North Carolina State, working with the football team�
Fallon Morella
Assistant Director, StudentAthlete Development
Fallon Morella has been a member of the student-athlete development unit within the WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics since 2019� Morella was promoted to assistant director of student-athlete development in 2022 after serving in an academic coordinator’s role during the 2021 season� Prior to that, she was an an academic advisor while serving as a graduate assistant since August 2019� She currently works with the Mountaineer women’s basketball and baseball teams, providing academic support, tracking NCAA eligibility requirements and assisting in class scheduling, among other duties, for both� She also has served as a learning specialist and interim tutor coordinator inside the student-athlete development department� She previously worked with rifle and rowing. Additionally, Morella spent time as a senior athletic administration intern at WVU in 2020, as well as an admissions and recruitment counselor at Fairmont State from 2018-19� As an undergraduate student at West Virginia, she was a student-athlete tutor from 2017-18, working with WVU OSAD to provide academic support to student-athletes� A native of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Morella graduated from WVU with a degree in business administration (marketing) in 2018� She also holds a master’s degree in higher education administration from WVU and just completed her second master’s degree in sport management in WVU’s College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (May 2021)� She resides in Morgantown with her two dogs, Stewart and Henry�
Tanner Cain
Sports Information Director
Tanner Cain joined the WVU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics in August of 2020, where he serves as the Assistant Director of Athletics Communications and the primary media contact for the WVU women’s basketball and rifle teams. He also has served as the sports information
director for tennis and rowing� Cain was a graduate assistant in the WVU Athletics Communications Office from 2018-20, working as the primary media contact for tennis and rowing� He also aided with the communication efforts for the football team, along with other Mountaineer programs� During his second year, Cain became the interim contact for the WVU women’s basketball team� Prior to his time as a graduate assistant, Cain interned with the Florida Atlantic University football team, as a recruiting and operations intern, and the WVU Athletics Communications Office in 2017. He also worked on the gameday staff for the West Virginia Black Bears during the 2015 and 2016 seasons� A native of Morgantown, West Virginia, Cain earned a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in 2018 and a master’s degree in sport management from WVU in 2020� He and his wife, Amy, reside in Morgantown�
Kyle Keesler
Equipment Manager
Kyle Keesler began his role as assistant equipment manager in 2015 and was promoted to equipment manager in June 2019� He helps with the day-to-day equipment operations for men’s and women’s basketball and he also oversees the baseball team’s daily equipment needs� Prior to his full-time stint at WVU, Keesler served as the head clubhouse manager for the West Virginia Black Bears, the short-season A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. While in that capacity, he handled day-to-day operations including daily transportation for players and staff, ordering team meals, and issuing officially licensed game day and workout gear� Additionally, he handled laundry for both the visiting and home teams� Keesler served as the head women’s basketball manager for WVU women’s basketball for five seasons. He handled daily practice and game operations and assisted with office duties. He traveled with the team and helped organize equipment, uniforms and other needs for road contests� He assisted the graduate assistant with mail outs, data entry and recruiting visits� Keesler served as the Mountaineers’ equipment room liaison helping issue gear, laundry and other needs� A native of grantsville, West Virginia, Keesler resides in Morgantown with his wife, Judy, and daughter, Myla, and son, Kolson�
Amy Fluharty
Administrative Associate
Amy Fluharty joined the WVU women’s basketball staff in July 2020, where she oversees the administrative and daily office operations for head coach Dawn Plitzuweit and her staff� In addition, Fluharty enters all information into the NCAA compliance monitoring system for recruits, expense reporting, purchases, the WVU women’s basketball kids club and camps� Prior to joining WVU women’s basketball, Fluharty worked 12 years for the WVU men’s basketball as an administrative associate and 16 years for the WVU Extension Service in the Agricultural Sciences Building� Fluharty and her husband, Craig, reside in Burton, West Virginia� They have three children -- Danielle, Amber and Ryan�
A.J. Monseau, M.D.
Team Physician
A.J. Monseau, M.D., WVU Medicine Emergency Medicine and Sports Medicine physician, has been the head team physician and medical director for WVU Athletics since 2017. In 2016, Dr� Monseau served as the team physician for WVU Men’s Basketball. He also served as team physician for USA Wrestling at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As head team physician and medical director for WVU Athletics, Monseau leads the University’s staff of team physicians and works in conjunction with the athletic training staff to provide healthcare to all student-athletes� This includes injury prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, education, and counseling� Originally from the Northern Panhandle, Monseau received his medical degree from and completed his residency training at the WVU School of Medicine� He then completed fellowship training in primary care sports medicine at the University of Michigan School of Medicine� He returned to his alma mater upon completion of his fellowship in 2011� Currently, Monseau is an associate professor in the WVU Department of Emergency Medicine� In addition to working as an attending physician in the J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital Emergency Department, he also sees sports medicine patients through WVU Medicine Orthopaedics. He is board certified in emergency medicine and primary care sports medicine� Athletics have always been a part of Monseau’s life� After completing a three-sport career at Wheeling Park High School, Monseau carried his love of sports through his undergraduate education, during which he competed on the West Liberty University (then West Liberty State College) wrestling team for his father, who is a National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach� Though he gave up competing when he began medical school, he made sure to choose a specialty that would allow him to remain connected to competitive sports�
2022-23 PLAYER PROFILES
2022-23 Rosters � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 48 2022-23 Photo Roster � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 49 Jayla Hemingway � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 50 Wynter Rogers � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 50 Sarah Bates� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 51 Danni Nichols � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 52 Imarianah Russell � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 52 JJ Quinerly� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 53 Messiah Hunter� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 53 Kylee Blacksten � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 54 Tavy Diggs� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 54 Isis Beh � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 55 Savannah Samuel � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 55 Madisen Smith � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 56 Kyah Watson � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 57 Individual Career Stats � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 58
