Austin College Names Olivia Hunt Head Women’s Basketball Coach

SHERMAN, Texas – Olivia Hunt ’17 has been named Austin College’s new head women’s basketball coach, athletics director David Norman announced. Hunt most recently served as an assistant coach at the University of North Texas.

“I am honored to be coming back to Austin College as the head women’s basketball coach,” said Hunt. “Thank you to President Steven O’Day, David Norman, and Michelle Filander for entrusting me to lead this program. Austin College women’s basketball has seen a lot of success under Michelle Filander for the last 16 years. I consider myself blessed to have both played for and coached with her. I can’t wait to carry on the winning tradition. Let’s get to work!”

Hunt, a 2017 graduate, also earned her master’s degree from Austin College in 2018 while serving as a graduate assistant during the 2017-18 campaign. She was a four-year letterwinner for the ’Roos, serving as a team captain during her senior season and establishing herself as one of the top three-point shooters in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference during her playing days.

“Olivia has been a part of so many pivotal points with the program over the years and I am so excited to welcome her back in the role of head coach,” said Filander, who will become the College’s new athletics director beginning in the 2025-26 academic year. “She is an outstanding fit, and we are fortunate to have her return to Austin College to continue building the culture she helped create.”

Following her time at Austin College, Hunt served as an assistant coach under former ’Roo men’s basketball player Jason Burton with the Texas A&M University-Commerce women’s program for the 2018-2019 season, helping guide the program to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. She was then named the assistant coach for the University of Texas-Dallas, where she worked under another Austin College women’s basketball alumna, Polly Thomason. Hunt worked in that position from 2019-2022. While at UTD, Hunt was named the Small College Assistant Coach of the Year by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches in 2020, following a season in which the Comets earned a trip to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.

Hunt returned to Austin College to serve as the program’s first full-time assistant coach in 2022, before rejoining Burton at North Texas as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I program in 2023. While at UNT, she helped coach the team to an overall record of 48-17 and an American Athletic Conference regular season championship in her first season, and a berth in the National Invitational Tournament this year.

“After a very competitive national search, Olivia Hunt emerged as our top person to lead the ’Roos into the future,” said Norman. “Her experience as a Division III player, coaching at successful college programs at every level in the NCAA, and honing her skills under Austin College alumni coaches, makes her a perfect fit.”

As a player and graduate assistant at Austin College, Hunt’s teams were a combined 82-48 with two SCAC regular season championships, and she was crucial in helping to coach and mentor former first team All-American and two-time SCAC Player of the Year Bryce Frank. Hunt has also filled the role of recruiting coordinator at Austin College, Texas A&M Commerce, and UT-Dallas, and held the title of Director of Recruiting and Player Development with the Mean Green.

President O’Day commented, “We are delighted to welcome Olivia Hunt back to Austin College. Her track record of experience and success with basketball programs at many different institutions speaks for itself, and I know that our women’s basketball program will be in great hands under Coach Hunt’s leadership.”

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, pre-professional foundations, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 44 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and an expert faculty of more than 100 educators allow an 11:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.