Besancon Hired to Lead Women's Basketball Program

Olivia Besancon, a Wayne County star who helped nearby Smithville High School to two state semifinalist appearances, has been named head women's basketball coach at The College of Wooster. Besancon starts at the College on August 26.

"I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to lead The College of Wooster's women's basketball program," said Besancon. "I want to thank Lynn Holleran, Libby Ladrach, and the entire search committee for giving me this opportunity. It was clear during the interview process how much passion and enthusiasm runs across the department and campus. I am eager to get to work with the student-athletes and continue growing the program on and off the court."

"I am excited to welcome Olivia to the College," added Holleran, Wooster's director of athletics and physical education. "Olivia's wide range of experiences spanning coaching, operations, fundraising, and community involvement will significantly enhance our student-athlete experience and elevate our department as a whole. Having a coach deeply connected to our immediate area adds value as we work to expand our impact with the Wooster community."

Besancon brings six years of collegiate coaching experience to the College, including four as a NCAA Div. III assistant. Most recently, Besancon spent three seasons at Muskingum University. Besancon was heavily involved with the Fighting Muskies' recruiting, game preparations, travel logistics, and game strategy. At Muskingum, Besancon helped lead a robust community service program, was active with team fundraising efforts, and conducted academic progress checks with team members. Outside of coaching, Besancon served as the gameday operations manager for home men's and women's lacrosse games, was the advisor for Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and was a physical education instructor.

Prior to Muskingum, Besancon was an assistant coach at Heidelberg University and started her coaching career at Malone University as a graduate assistant. Besancon's lead duties with both Heidelberg and Malone centered on recruiting, game preparations, travel logistics, and game strategy.

As a player, Besancon was a second-team All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection as a senior at Muskingum. The four-year starter and three-year captain was a 1,000-point scorer for the Fighting Muskies. In high school, Besancon helped Smithville to three Wayne Country Athletic League championships and was part of a program that went 95-9.

Besancon earned a bachelor's degree in business management and marketing from Muskingum and an MBA from Malone.