Hendrix Adds Three to Staff

OXFORD, Ohio – Miami Women's Basketball Head Coach DeUnna Hendrix announced three additions to her staff on Friday. Hailey Yohn and Tiffany Swoffard will serve as assistant coaches while Connor Leppink will be Hendrix's director of operations.

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Yohn comes to Oxford, Ohio from High Point, N.C. where she was an assistant coach for Hendrix the past three seasons after serving as the director of operations in 2015-16.

"I feel fortunate to have Hailey join me on this new journey; one further away from her family in North Carolina," said Hendrix. "When she first joined us at HPU, I believed she was a rising star in this business and my thought hasn't changed. She is loyal, driven, innovative, and knowledgeable. I'm grateful she's now a RedHawk."

During her three years as an assistant coach, Yohn helped the Panthers to a 54-38 overall record and a 38-16 record in conference play.

In Yohn's three seasons as an assistant, High Point has finished in the top four in the Big South every season, including a second-place finish and a WNIT appearance in 2018-19. Yohn played a big role in the Panthers finishing in the top three in the Big South in free-throw percentage, three-point percentage and scoring offense each season.

At High Point, Yohn worked primarily with the guards, mentoring the 2017 Big South Player of the Year as well as two 1,000-point scorers. During her tenure, the Panthers earned six all-conference selections.

Yohn graduated from Coker College in 2015, earning a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Sports Studies. She was a three-year captain for the Cobras and graduated as the school's all-time leader in three-pointers made (211). During her playing career Yohn was named to the South Athletic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll twice and was voted as the team's MVP in 2013.

Yohn has served as a camp coach at Duke University and the University of North Carolina during her collegiate career as well as serving as a student intern for the Coker College men's basketball team. The former guard was selected to the So You Want to be a Coach Program, which attended the 2015 Final Four in Tampa Bay to learn from various Division I, II and III women's basketball coaches.

In 2019, Yohn was chosen as one of the WBCA's 30 Under 30 honorees.

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Swoffard joins Miami's staff after four years as an assistant coach at Toledo, where she worked with all aspects of the program, including, perimeter-player development, recruiting, academic support and opponent scouting. She also served as the program's recruiting coordinator and worked with both the guards and the post players.

"Tiffany is a winner," said Hendrix. "Having been in the same league, I was able to witness the vital part she played early in establishing the extremely credible Mercer program of today. I have respected her work for years now. Having coached in the MAC the last four years, it just made sense to bring her on board. I had hoped the opportunity would come when we would work together and finally the stars have aligned! We will be better because of Tiffany's knowledge and mentorship."

During her time with the Rockets, Swoffard helped lead Toledo to an 81-49 overall record and a 43-29 record in MAC play. This includes two 20-win seasons in 2016-17 and 2018-19. Swoffard was in her second season as an assistant coach for Toledo when the Rockets won the MAC Tournament following the 2016-17 season. During her tenure, Toledo garnered 12 All-MAC selections, made an NCAA appearance and two WNIT appearances.

Prior to Toledo, Swoffard spent five seasons at Mercer University, where she handled recruiting, on-court development, academic support, in-office administration and worked with the guards and forwards. She mentored five all-conference athletes and 17 academic all-conference recipients. Swoffard helped lead Mercer to its first 20-win season in two decades in 2012-13 and its first appearance in a postseason tournament since 1985.

Before her stint at Mercer, Swoffard spent four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith. She was responsible for arranging team travel, updating game statistics, scouting opponents, organizing film exchange, ordering equipment, scheduling community service projects and assisting with scheduling. Swoffard also coordinated on and off campus recruiting visits, identified possible recruits, facilitated camps and served as the recruiting coordinator. She worked with the guards and posts.

Swoffard also spent three seasons at the helm of the Georgia Metros AAU Basketball Team before joining the staff at Rowan University (NJ) as a graduate assistant.

Swoffard played four seasons at Austin Peay State University from 1998-2002, including two consecutive years in which the Lady Governors captured Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championships and represented the league in the NCAA Tournament (2000-02).

An active member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), Swoffard earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing from Austin Peay in 2002. She also earned a master's degree in business administration from Rowan University in 2007.

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Leppink served as the director of video operations for the RedHawks last season. He was part of the team that went on an 11-game win streak after starting 7-1 – the best start in program history. The 18-19 team was the first in program history to have three active 1,000-pt scorers and was also strong on the defensive side of the game, holding opponents to less than 60 points in 15 games last season.

"When piecing together a new staff after a successful two-year Miami run, a constant is necessary. Connor is that," said Hendrix. "After a week of being on campus, I could tell he was liked by everyone and respected by our team. I know Connor will not only give us the consistency we need but he'll also open us up to new possibilities. Having worked as a video coordinator last year, his talents are versatile. I look forward to seeing how he will continue to grow while being a mentor to our team."

Before coming to Miami, Leppink was the Graduate Video Manager for the University of Michigan women's basketball team from September 2016 to December 2017. While with the Wolverines, he was responsible for logistics behind practices, walkthroughs and game day operations, assisted the coaching staff during practice with charting and filming and was in charge of capturing and breaking down practice and game film. Leppink was part of the 2016-17 team that captured the 2017 WNIT title.

Leading up to his time in Ann Arbor, Leppink served as a Basketball Operations and Video Coordinator Intern for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association, where he worked alongside the likes of Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd. His duties consisted of, but were not limited to, coordinating opponent practices and shootarounds, assisting with the preparation of scouting reports and player development and handling all of the team's equipment needs. Additionally, he was responsible for all video operations and and analytics.

Leppink got his undergraduate degree from Dordt College in May of 2016, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Management. While at Dordt, he played on the baseball team and was a two-time NAIA Scholar Athlete selection. Leppink would go on to earn his Master's of Science in Sport Management from the University of Michigan in December of 2017.

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