Rocky Mount, N.C. - With the start of the 2016-2017 season just days away, the North Carolina Wesleyan Deparment of Athletics is pleased to announce the final additions to its coaching staff. The following five individuals join previous additions Erica Keil of women's soccer and Bridget Walker of women's lacrosse as new staff members for the upcoming season. On behalf of the NCWC Department of Athletics, we welcome each of these coaches to the N.C. Wesleyan family.
HEAD CROSS COUNTRY / ASST. TENNIS COACH
Albie Brice has been named N.C. Wesleyan's head cross country and assistant tennis coach. No stranger to Bishop Athletics, he previously served as NCWC's head tennis coach for five years, helping reinstate the men's program in 1999 and kickstart the women's program that same season.
As a volunteer tennis assistant last season, Brice helped lead Wesleyan's men to their eighth straight USA South Championship, while helping the women's program secure a second straight winning season and top-3 finish in the league. Now joining Bishop tennis in a full-time capacity, he also takes over a women's cross country program entering its third season since being reinstated in 2014. An avid runner himself, he brings a wealth of training knowledge to a young program looking to improve within the USA South Conference and South Region.
As a collegiate tennis player, Brice competed for D-I UNC Wilmington and was named UNCW's Most Improved Player in 1990 before transferring to NCWC. Athletically, Brice's post-Wesleyan career has seen him achieve an ATP ranking and compete in several professional tournaments. Brice also spent several years as an owner and coach with Velocity Sports Performance. During his Velocity tenure, he gained valuable knowlege in distance training, as well as the proper mechanics involved in endurance, strength, speed, nutrition, and injury prevention.
A 1992 Wesleyan graduate with a degree in History, Brice has gone on to earn a Master of Divinity with Biblical Languages (2007) and a Master of Theology in Christian Ethics (2012) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Currently, he is slated to complete his PhD in Christian Ethics in May of 2017.
ASSISTANT SOFTBALL COACH
Meredith Mills enters her first season as assistant coach with the North Carolina Wesleyan softball program. Having previously served as Assistant Sports Information Director for the Battling Bishops, she is excited to rejoin her alma mater after a successful two-year stint as Sports Director for the Twin Rivers YMCA in New Bern.
As an undergraduate, Mills was a four-year letterwinner in softball and two-year letterwinner in basketball for the Bishops. In softball, she twice garnered USA South First Team All-Conference honors at first base. Mills went on to serve one season as a student assistant softball coach for head coach John Brackett while completing her degree.
Mills is a 2013 Wesleyan graduate with a bachelor's degree in Psychology. In addition to her coaching duties, the Kernersville, N.C. native will again assist with Sports Information.
ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH
Matt Byrne enters his first season as an assistant coach with the North Carolina Wesleyan football program. He will help guide the Bishop offensive line and joins NCWC after a successful two-year graduate assistantship at Heidelberg University, his alma mater.
Byrne's two-year coaching stint with the Student Princes saw him gain valuable coaching experience with the offensive line, tight ends, and running backs. He had previously made the move to the sidelines after a solid four-year career with the 'Berg. The Euclid, Ohio native, in fact, was a 2013 Honorable Mention All-Conference selection in the talented OAC (Ohio Athletic Conference).
Byrne earned his undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education & Sports Management from the Heidelberg in 2014. Most recently in 2016, he completed his Master of Arts in Education.
ASSISTANT FOOTBALL COACH
Craig Pettit enters his first season with the North Carolina Wesleyan football program and will assist with defensive backs. He joins the Battling Bishops after a solid collegiate career at Wesley College, which is considered to be one of the top programs in all of Division III football.
Pettit completed his Wolverine career last fall and was honored to serve as team captain during a stellar senior season. The 2015 season, in fact, saw the Clifton Heights, Pa. native named Wesley's Best Skill Player after tying for the team lead with five interceptions. Over the course of his Wolverine career, he helped lead Wesley to three NCAA berths as a two-year starter at free safety.
Pettit is a 2016 graduate of Wesley with a degree in Exercise Science.
ASSISTANT MEN'S BASKETBALL COACH
Matt Grantham enters his first season as an assistant coach with the North Carolina Wesleyan men's basketball program. Grantham, a graduate of East Carolina University with a degree in Psychology, served four seasons as team manager for the Pirates during his undergrad tenure.
In addition to his Psychology major, Grantham also minored in Business Management and has worked in the computer software industry since gradution. He has a tremendous amount of basketball camp experience, including stints at North Carolina State, the University of Maryland, and N.C. Wesleyan. Grantham now embraces the opportunity to gain valuable coaching experience alongside Bishop head coach John Thompson and his assistant, Nigel Thomas.
Grantham came by his passion for coaching honestly. The Jacksonville, NC native is the son of long-time North Carolina high school coach Greg Grantham, whom he played for at White Oak High School. The elder Grantham, in fact, proved to be a driving force behind the establishment of the NCBCA (North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association).