The NC Wesleyan College Volleyball program is doing an alumni spotlight series. The fifth alum we are profiling is 2001 graduate Tabitha Wilcox. 

 Wilcox competed as a dual sport athlete at Wesleyan playing 3B and DH in softball and as a right side hitter in volleyball from 1997-2001.

During her softball career, Wilcox was an all-conference selection as a DH during her freshman year in 1998 helping lead the Bishops to a 31-13 record and a conference tournament championship in '98 and '99 under coach John Brackett. She also helped lead the team to four 20-plus win season during her career. Wilcox was also named an all-conference third basemen during her junior year in 2000.

Wilcox also served as captain during her senior year of volleyball in 2000.

Wilcox, a Florida native, finished her Wesleyan career winning 107 games as a member of the Bishop softball team and winning 63 games on the volleyball team.

Social Media Spotlight - Tabitha Wilcox

What was your major at NCWC?

Biology with a minor in math and chemistry. 

What are you up to now?

I am in my 18th year of teaching in North Carolina.  I spent 15 years teaching middle school and I have been teaching high school for the last 2.5 years.  While teaching, I coached Middle School and High School volleyball and softball.  I currently coach the 18U Travel Volleyball Team for the Wilson Elite Volleyball Club.  And since I teach I have lots of little part time jobs like working at the Rocky Mount Event Center and working on a farm in Edgecombe county during the summer.   

What would you consider your greatest accomplishment since graduating from NCWC? 

Shortly after I began my teaching and coaching career, I was selected as the Big East Volleyball Coach of the Year twice in my first two years of coaching varsity volleyball.  I also finished my first three years of coaching varsity volleyball with a record of 30-0 in conference.  More recently, I was selected as Teacher of the Year for Citi High School in Rocky Mount, NC.    

Who had the biggest influence on you during your athletic career?

The biggest influence growing up was my middle school PE teacher, Ms. Jackie Black. She first got me involved in sports through PE, but then helped me to convince my mom to let me tryout for middle school sports and she continued to support me through high school.

In high school my biggest influence was my softball coach, Angela Hancock-Hart.  Coach Hancock was from Texas and she not only taught us how to win, but also how to be amazing young ladies.  She was married to my varsity and travel volleyball coach which led me to know my greatest influence in college, Michon Lubbers.  (Lubbers coached Wilcox during her freshman and sophomore years at Wesleyan.) Her love for the game was so contagious.  She was strict but fair and for me coming from Florida, over 14 hours from home, it was much needed.  

What advice do you have for NCWC's current student-athletes? 

This very short, 4-year roller coaster ride should be the best ride of your life because you don't get this time back in your life. Give it your all and take advantage of every opportunity given to you.  Be your "Best You", no matter what other people say or other people do, just be YOU!

What do you wish you could go back and tell yourself as a freshman?

Work hard now, so you don't have to work as hard in the future.  No one's expectations of you are harder to live up to than your own expectations of yourself.