Miami Hall-of-Famer Carolyn Condit concluded her 40th season leading the RedHawks. Condit officially retired after the 2023 season.
Owning more victories than any coach in the history of the Miami Athletic Department, Condit holds a 682-554 record over 40 seasons in charge of the Red and White. She became the first RedHawk to earn her 600th victory as a Miami coach with a 3-1 victory over Central Michigan on Oct. 13, 2017. Including her four seasons in charge of Xavier, Condit has eclipsed 750 wins, owning a career record of 781-634. She earned her 750th career victory on Jan. 22, 2021 with a 3-0 sweep of Buffalo. Condit is the only volleyball coach in the history of the Mid-American Conference to win more than 300 league matches, holding a conference mark of 376-264.
At the end of the 2023 season, Condit’s 781 total victories ranked fifth among active NCAA Division I coaches, and tied for 22nd all-time.
Under Condit’s leadership, Miami has won 10 MAC Championships, including four straight from 2016 to 2019. In a 2020-21 season where Miami faced only MAC opponents, Condit guided Miami to a berth in the four-team MAC Tournament.
In 2019, she led the RedHawks to a 12-4 MAC record, taking the regular season title outright for the first time since 1995. Miami earned an at-large bid to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship for the second straight season, where it dropped a five-set thriller to TCU out of the Big 12 in the first round.
In 2018, Condit was named MAC Coach of the Year after the RedHawks went 23-9 overall and were co-MAC Regular Season champions. They advanced to the MAC Tournament championship for the third straight season before falling in the championship game. Miami then was selected as an at-large team to the NIVC, where it won its first postseason match since 1998, defeating Northern Kentucky in the first round.
In 2017, the RedHawks were 23-9 and were co-MAC Regular Season champions. They went on to win the MAC Tournament title for the first since 2007, defeating Western Michigan in the championship match. In 2016, Miami finished 24-7 and was co-MAC Regular Season champions with a 15-1 league record. After reaching the MAC Tournament Championship match, Miami earned its fourth-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, where it took a set off of Pac-12 member Oregon before dropping a 1-3 decision.
Miami had five straight 20-plus win season from 2014-18 under Coach Condit. In 2015, the RedHawks finished 21-10 overall and were third in the MAC with a 12-4 record, advancing to the MAC Tournament Semifinals. That included a 3-0 victory over then 19th-ranked Michigan State. In 2014, Miami also was 21-10 overall and 12-4 in the MAC. It advanced all the way to the MAC Tournament Championship before dropping a heartbreaking fifth set by the score of 13-15.
The RedHawks have boasted amazing success under Condit’s direction. She credits excellent assistant coaches, solid recruiting and a consistent effort towards scheduling high RPI opponents for the steady upgrade of the program. To go with her ten league championships, the six-time MAC Coach-of-the-Year has nine NCAA Tournament appearances and five MAC Player-of-the-Year awards to her credit. In 2018, Gaby Harper was the latest to earn MAC Freshman of the Year under Condit.
As one of the most prolific coaches in the MAC, Condit and her staff continue their quest to keep Miami among the elite programs in the conference and region both athletically and in the classroom. Under Condit, her athletes have earned a total of 83 All-MAC awards for their play on the court, and have also combined for 128 All-MAC academic honors for their performance in the classroom. Six of her student-athletes have been named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, and eight of her players (out of 11 volleyball players all-time) have earned induction into the Miami Athletic Hall of Fame.
Foreign tours have been a staple under Condit. The team had the benefit of having bonded and practiced together on a European trip back in May 2016. Visiting Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, the RedHawks visited many historical sites and played six matches against professional teams, finishing with a 5-1 record. Allowed once every four seasons, Miami traveled to Brazil in 2007 and visited Austria, Slovenia and Italy in 2012.
Condit is using her experience to give back to young coaches looking to move up the ladder. In 2012, she volunteered to join the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s mentorship program, where she advises new high school and college level coaches who are making the profession their career.
In 2014, Condit was honored by Miami University with the Kathy McMahon Klosterman Award at the inaugural Women in Leadership Symposium. The award is given annually to someone that stands out during their career for their impactful and longstanding support of advocacy for women. The awards program was started by Professor Kathy McMahon Klosterman many years ago, with this award being established in 2008.
In 2016, Condit was honored by the Greater Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Women’s Sports Association with its Lifetime Service Award, which is presented to a local woman who has given many years of support, service, and enthusiasm to girls' and women's sports. It states that “She is a woman who has persevered tirelessly through the years so that girls and women today can enjoy the benefits of competitive athletics. She is a woman who has fought for equal opportunities in sports for girls and women when it wasn't popular to do so.”
In 2024, Condit was named the recipient of the Trailblazer Award, an annual award that honors a MAC individual in any position who has demonstrated support of equal opportunities and the student-athlete experience.
A Commitment to Academic Success
Condit, whose program has boasted superior graduation rates during her tenure, is credited with building the Miami program into a winner both on and off the court.
Keeping academics a top priority for the volleyball team is an important part of Condit’s winning philosophy. Her student-athletes take great pride in their academic achievements and often are among the leaders at Miami in grade-point average. In the spring of 2010, the team had the highest GPA among all RedHawk athletic teams with a 3.7. A Miami volleyball student-athlete has been named to a CoSIDA All-District V team 27 times, including every year from 2011-17. Six have been named CoSIDA All-Americans, most recently Katie Tomasic in 2017.
Former RedHawk players made sure Condit was recognized for her work as a teacher, with the effort led by Suzy Wolford (‘05) which earned her a nomination for the 2010-11 Miami Effective Educator Award.
“The team’s academic work and pursuit of their degree will always remain our top priority. Miami enjoys being among a prestigious group of Division I universities in the country who are well known for high academic standards, yet their motivated student-athletes prove year-after-year to be winners on the court. Our student-athletes deserve much credit for their perseverance in pursuit of excellence on and off the court, and our 2018 team continues to carry the torch,” said Condit.
Virginia Heineman (’85), Kathy and Wendy Tepe (’87), Jessica Stout (’97), Meg Riley (’15) and Tomasic (’18) brought national recognition to Miami through their selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team. Riley and Tomasic were named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team three times each, while Tara Buroker (‘04), Jill Homrig (’90), Kathy Whalen (’91) and Stout each earned first-team CoSIDA academic all-district honors twice.
Condit by the numbers
781 – Career wins
26 – Teams that have advanced to at least to the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals since the tournament was reinstituted in 1987.
19 – Teams that have finished in the top three in the regular season
10 – NCAA Appearances
10 – MAC Regular Season titles
12 – MAC Tournament title appearances
5 – MAC Tournament titles
6 –MAC Coach of the Year wins
5 – Student-Athletes have won MAC Player of the Year
83 - All-MAC awards
128 – Academic All-MAC awards
6 – CoSIDA Academic All-Americans
