Rocky Mount, N.C. - The N.C. Wesleyan Department of Athletics officially kicked off the 2013-2014 season on Monday and Tuesday with its first staff meetings of the new year. In addition to the football hirings announced in late July, a number of new staffers were officially introduced as Battling Bishops.

In the area of athletic training, Meaghan Powell and Brandon Tew are excited to join NCWC for their first seasons as assistant ATCs. 

A native of Topsham, Maine, Powell comes to Wesleyan from Old Dominion University where she earned her M.S. Ed. in Physical Education with a concentration in Athletic Training in 2013. She previously completed her B.S. degree at the University of New Hampshire in 2010. While completing her graduate coursework, Powell served as an assistant athletic trainer at Christopher Newport University, gaining valuable experience across a variety of sports. Her additional experience includes studying abroad as an athletic training student with the Institute of Technology Carlow in Ireland.

Tew hails from Southern Pines, N.C. and joins NCWC from East Stroudsburg University where he completed his M.S. in Athletic Training in 2013. He previously earned his B.S. degree at East Carolina University in 2011. While at East Stroudsburg, Tew served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer working primarily with football. Tew's additional experience includes one semester as a certified athletic trainer for nearby Pitt Community College, as well as completion of a summer internship with the NFL's New York Giants. He has also served as a First Responder with East Carolina's athletic camps.

Both Certified Athletic Trainers with CPR/AED certifications, Powell and Tew are members of the National Athletic Trainers Association, as well as the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers Association.

On the sports information side, Wesleyan alum Meredith Mills joins the department as assistant SID after completing her bachelor's degree in Psychology in May of 2013. As an undergraduate, Mills was a four-year letterwinner in softball and two-year letterwinner in basketball for the Battling Bishops.  In softball, she twice garnered First Team All-Conference honors at first base before joining head coach John Brackett as a student assistant coach last season. The Kernersville, N.C. native has a working knowledge of SID practices, having served as a student assistant in the NCWC Sports Information Office for three years.

Finally, joining the department last spring and entering his first season as assistant women's soccer coach is Greg Ridout. The program's first full-time assistant coach, he comes to Rocky Mount after serving as the men’s and women’s assistant at the University of Minnesota-Morris for the past three seasons. 

While at UMM, Ridout was an integral part of the success of both teams. The Cougar men played in three straight conference championships, winning the 2012 UMAC tournament championship and advancing to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. On the women's side, the Cougars also enjoyed success after Ridout’s recruiting efforts aided the team in progressing to the conference finals two years in a row.    

A native of Chester, Va., Ridout was a four-year letterwinner at Randolph-Macon College where he led the team in goals and overall points three of his four years, during which the team reached as high as No. 11 in the NSCAA national rankings. After graduating from Randolph-Macon, he accepted a graduate assistant position at Lynchburg College and later spent one year as an assistant coach at The University of Richmond, served as Tournament Director for the Chesterfield Icebreaker, and played for Richmond United in the Professional Arena Soccer League. 

Ridout graduated with a bachelor's degree in History from Randolph-Macon  and has a master's degree in Educational Leadership from Lynchburg. He earned his NSCAA National and Advanced National Diploma and will look to attain the USSF “B” license in the near future. 

The N.C. Wesleyan Department of Athletics welcomes all four of these additions to the staff for the 2013-2014 season!