University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville Athletics Announces Katie Meier as 2026 Our Turn To Play Keynote Speaker
01.13.2026 | General
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – For the 21st year of the "Our Turn to Play" Scholarship Dinner, Katie Meier, former Miami Hurricanes women's basketball head coach, Co-National Coach of the Year, and Duke Hall of Famer, will be the Keynote Speaker. The annual scholarship dinner will be held on Tuesday, April 28, at 6 p.m. in Kimmel Arena.
"We are incredibly excited to welcome the former Miami Hurricanes women's basketball head coach to UNC Asheville as the keynote speaker for our annual Our Turn to Play event," said Director of Athletics Janet R. Cone. "Her experience, leadership, and perspective will be invaluable to our student-athletes, and we are honored to have her share her story with our campus and athletic community."
A LITTLE ABOUT MEIER
Meier is the former head basketball coach for the women's basketball team at the University of Miami, but is no stranger to North Carolina. Before serving as an assistant coach at UNC Asheville during the 1993-94 season, Meier was a four-year letter winner at Duke University under head coach Debbie Leanord from 1986-90. She is listed throughout the Duke record book and earned ACC Rookie of the Year and Basketball Yearbook Freshman All-America honors in 1986.
Following her career at Duke, Meier moved overseas to play three seasons with BBC Mini-Flat Waregem in Belgium from 1990-93. There, she helped lead her team to three First Division regular season titles and one Belgian Cup Championship.
Meier began her head coaching career at Charlotte, where she enjoyed a successful four-year tenure. The 49ers reached the postseason in three of her four seasons, including the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1989. After the 2002–03 season, she was named Conference USA Coach of the Year.
On April 19, 2005, Meier was hired as the head coach at Miami, where she led the Hurricanes for 18 seasons. During her tenure, she amassed 11 20-win seasons and guided Miami to 13 postseason appearances, including 10 consecutive trips from 2009–19. Meier is the all-time winningest basketball coach—men's or women's—in Miami history with 343 career victories.
For more information on Meier, click here.
ANTONELLI BACK AS EMCEE
Returning once again as emcee is Debbie Antonelli. A familiar presence within UNC Asheville Athletics, Antonelli has previously served as emcee for both Our Turn to Play and Asheville's Celebration on the Court basketball kickoff event. She was also honored with the Our Turn to Play Trailblazer Award in 2022.
EVENT REVIEW
Last year's Our Turn to Play event marked a milestone, welcoming a record-breaking 450 attendees and selling 50 tables in support of Bulldog women's athletics.
Prior to the start of the event, more than $300,000 had already been raised in support of women's athletics, including a generous $150,000 challenge gift from an anonymous donor to fund scholarships for female student-athletes.
Our Turn to Play is an annual event dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of women in collegiate athletics while increasing scholarship opportunities for UNC Asheville female student-athletes.
Individual tickets are $150, and table sponsorships are $1,500. To reserve your seat(s), please contact Donna Peek at dpeek@unca.edu or 828-232-5655.
