MEDFORD, Mass. - Following a national search, Tufts University announced Tuesday afternoon the hiring of Meredith Mesaris as the school's new head women's basketball coach. Mesaris becomes the program's ninth head coach dating back to 1972, taking over for Jill Pace who resigned in April.

"We are excited to welcome Meredith to the Jumbo family as our next head women's basketball coach," said Ryan Pisarri, director of athletics at Tufts. "She has had tremendous success at Vassar College these past two years - winning two league championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances. We look forward to her leading our Tufts student-athletes and providing them with the best possible experience, both on and off the court."

"I'm incredibly honored to be named the next head women's basketball coach at Tufts University," said Mesaris. "This is truly a dream opportunity, and I'm excited to join a program with such a strong tradition of excellence and a vibrant campus community. I can't wait to get started working with the talented student-athletes, coaches, and staff as we build on the program's success and continue to strive for greatness on and off the court."

"Tufts is a place with a rich tradition of excellence—in academics, athletics, and the overall student-athlete experience," said Mesaris. "The women's basketball program has been one of the nation's best, and that's a testament to the culture and people here. The combination of competing at the highest level in the NESCAC, being part of an institution that values both performance and personal growth, and working with driven, high-character student-athletes made this opportunity incredibly attractive to me."

Mesaris comes to Medford from Division III Vassar College, where she led the Brewers to back-to-back Liberty League titles in 2023 and 2024. In her first season in Poughkeepsie, Vassar went 25-3 as she was named Liberty League and D3hoops.com Region III Coach of the Year. The same year, Mesaris was tabbed by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) as a Thirty Under 30 Honoree.

In her second season at the helm of VC, she once again led the Brewers to 20 wins and a Liberty League title. Prior to her time at Vassar, Mesaris had an extensive run as an assistant coach at the University of Hartford, Williams College, Dartmouth University and Hendrix College.

During her time at Hartford, Mesaris assisted and collaborated with the transition from Division I to Division III, which involves changes throughout the operational staff, roster and development of a program entering a new conference. She was responsible for creating a detailed recruiting plan along with identifying potential prospects in the recruiting trail. Mesaris also helped with film breakdown and analysis to prepare for games.

Prior to Mesaris' stint with the Hawks, she spent a season as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College from 2021-22. Mesaris was heavily involved in the nationwide effort to identify future student-athletes that could be successful with the academic rigors of Dartmouth. Meredith worked primarily with the post players, as well as having responsibilities in nearly every aspect of the program, from scouting and video to recruiting and practice planning and execution. 

Mesaris spent five seasons as an assistant at Williams College from 2016-21, where she was responsible for in-game management, play calling, in-game strategy and tactical revisions. Mesaris was part of the team's first Sweet 16 appearance since 2013 during the 2019-20 season as well as the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016. She was also heavily included in the recruiting of all Williams College student-athletes and was responsible for the planning and execution of all practice plans.

Mesaris began her coaching career at Hendrix College in 2015 as she helped the team improve from a sub .500 record to a 19-7 record. Mesaris mentored two All-Southern Athletic Association players as well as one conference Player of the Year and an All-American selection.

Prior to her coaching career, Mesaris was a standout for Division III power University of Scranton from 2012-15, holding countless records in the Landmark Conference as well as for the Lady Royals.

She concluded her career with 1,758 points, which is the best mark all-time in Landmark Conference history and averaged 17.9 points per game in her illustrious career. Mesaris was named the Landmark Conference Player of the Year in 2015 and was named to the WBCA All-American team twice. She also was named First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region by D3Hoops in 2015 and was a Third-Team All-American in the same season. 

Mesaris also collected multiple academic honors in her four years as a Lady Royal as she was named to the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll three times and was honored as the Women's Basketball Senior Scholar Athlete for the 2014-15 academic year. She was also named to the COSIDA District IV All-Academic team twice in 2014 and 2015 and garnered a Second Team Academic All-American selection in 2015.

Mesaris graduated magna cum laude from the University of Scranton in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in management with a minor in coaching. She earned her master's degree from Southern New Hampshire University in 2020 in sports management.

Mesaris will start on September 2 in Medford, but she is already planning out what the goal is upon her arrival.

"For the short term, start building relationships with players, staff and the department right away, gaining familiarity with the program, the University, and the community, and laying the groundwork with the team for preparing to be a competitive contender in the upcoming season," said Mesaris. "Long term, I want to sustain a championship-level program that consistently competes for NESCAC and NCAA titles, develops student-athletes who excel in all areas of their lives, and upholds the proud tradition of Tufts women's basketball."

What They're Saying About Mesaris