Head coach Austin Meyer is entering his eighth season at the helm of the Bearcat women's basketball program in 2025-26. Meyer has posted 97 victories in seven seasons.
Meyer has guided the Bearcats to four consecutive .500 or better seasons - the longest stretch since a five-year stretch ending in the 1990-91 season.Â
Meyer ranks No. 3 in program history in coaching victories with 97. He has tallied three MIAA Tournament victories and led Northwest to the semifinals of the 2024 MIAA Tournament.
Northwest Coaching Victories
1. Wayne Winstead (1980-99) 311
2. Gene Steinmeyer (2000-12) 189
3. Austin Meyer (2018-pr.) 97
The Bearcats have landed 12 all-MIAA performers during the Meyer tenure, including the 2021 MIAA Freshman of the Year Molly Hartnett.
In 2023-2024, head coach Austin Meyer led the Northwest Missouri State women's basketball program to its first NCAA tournament in 13 years. The Bearcats finished with a 23-8 record and tied for second place in the MIAA. The 16 MIAA victories were the second most in program history.Â
 Meyer was introduced as the ninth head women's basketball coach in program history March 19, 2018.
Associate Head Coach
Meyer served as a full time member of the men's basketball staff at Northwest from 2008-18. Starting in 2015, he served as the program's associate head coach.
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With Meyer on the bench as a full-time coach with the men’s basketball program, Northwest has won 215 games (21.5 wins per season average), captured six MIAA regular season titles, four MIAA Tournament titles and one NCAA Division II National Championship. Thirty-three Bearcats earned MIAA honors in the past decade and three were named the conference’s Player of the Year. In addition, seven student-athletes were named to the All-Defensive Team, three earned MIAA Freshman of the Year accolades and two Bearcats earned NABC All-America honors.
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Meyer served as the men’s program’s lead recruiter. His other duties included organizing and running the Center Court Cat Club, organizing and presenting opponent scouting reports, coordinating official visits, coordinating team travel, community engagements, summer camps, social media, skill development and more.
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Student-Athlete and Graduate Assistant
Meyer was a four-year letter winner for the Bearcat men’s basketball team from 2002-06. He scored 1,294 career points and held the then-Northwest career record with 215 made three-pointers. He graduated from Northwest with his bachelor’s degree in corporate recreation in 2006 and earned his master’s in physical education in 2008. He served as a graduate assistant on Steve Tappmeyer’s staff for two seasons before being promoted to assistant coach prior to the 2008-09 season.
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Personal
Meyer, a native of Blue Springs, Missouri, and his wife Kelsi (Franklin) reside in Maryville. The couple has two children - Mary Claire and Franklin.
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