Iowa women’s basketball, wrestling announce staff updates
Lisa Bluder and Tom Brands both bolstered their staffs on Monday.
Lights are dimmed during a wrestling match between Iowa and Indiana at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, February 15, 2019. The Hawkeyes, celebrating senior night, defeated the Hoosiers 37-9.
June 17, 2019
Iowa wrestling and women’s basketball both announced changes to their coaching staffs on June 17.
On the basketball side, head coach Lisa Bluder switched several positions around.
Abby Stamp has been promoted to interim assistant coach, Kathryn Reynolds has been promoted to director of player development, while associate head coach Jenni Fitzgerald will now serve as a special assistant to the head coach.
“I am excited to add a new position to our staff and find a different role for Jenni to assist our program,” Bluder said in a release. “With the change, we have found a way for Jenni to take a step back but keep her expertise within our program.”
Fitzgerald has just completed her 19th season on the sidelines at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and has helped lead Iowa to 18 postseason appearances.
“After being in Division-1 basketball for the past 33 years — four as a player and 29 as a coach — I have decided it is time to take a step back from coaching and assume a different role within our basketball program,” Fitzgerald said in a release. “I’m excited to take on this new role within our basketball program and help keep Iowa women’s basketball moving forward.”
Stamp and Reynolds just completed their 10th and second seasons in the Iowa program. Both previously were members of the Iowa women’s basketball team, with Stamp playing from 2005-08 and Reynolds taking the court from 2011-15 and ending her playing career as a co-captain on the 2015 Hawkeyes, who reached the Sweet 16.
The search for a new director of operations is ongoing.
Wrestling head coach Tom Brands announced Moriah Stickley will join the Hawkeye staff as its director of operations.
Stickley has been a manager for the wrestling team since 2015 and has four years of administrative experience working for the Iowa Wrestling Club.
Stickley graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in Health and Human Physiology and will fill the position on the Iowa staff that was left vacated when Luke Eustice departed to pursue other opportunities.
Eustice had been in the position for 14 seasons.