The Judson University Athletic Department has announced the hiring of Irick Gardner as the Head Women’s Volleyball Coach.
Garnder has coached volleyball for decades as he participated in the 1988 & 1989 AAU National Tournament and has been coaching the sport since 1988.
He is no stranger to Judson Athletics, as he has coached and will continue to coach the Men’s volleyball team. This past season, Gardner was named CCAC Men’s Volleyball Coach of the Year as he led Judson to numerous heights, including its first 20-plus win season, 10-plus win conference season, first CCAC tournament appearance, and its first CCAC Championship match appearance. Gardner is the program’s all-time winningest coach (42 wins) and is the first head coach in program history to maintain a .500-plus winning percentage (.518%).
“We are blessed and grateful to have a coach of Irick’s caliber, ready, willing, and able to step up and take over the women’s volleyball program,” said Judson University Athletic Director Rick Williams. “Coach Fahy has done an outstanding job establishing a culture of excellence, and we are confident that Coach Gardner will continue that standard with the same coaching and recruiting prowess that made him the 2021 CCAC Coach of the Year!”
Gardner has a resume full of coaching experience in the Women’s game. He was the Club Director & Coach at Instant Replay Volleyball Club in Farmington Hills, Michigan, from 1996-2019. He was the Head Girls Volleyball Coach at Marian High School in Bloomfield, Michigan, from 2004-2011. During that run, his team appeared in the final four five times, including two championships and two runner-up finishes. He was the Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Concordia-Ann Arbor from 2003-2004. Other parts of his coaching tenure include assisting with the National Bahamian team in 2000, being an assistant coach for Kentucky State and Wayne State, as well as coaching in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.