Hicks Named Nebraska Rifle Coach

Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson announced Monday that Morgan Hicks has been hired as the head coach for the Huskers’ nationally competitive rifle program.  A 2004 U.S. Olympian as a competitor, Hicks comes to Nebraska after coaching MurrayState to a top-10 NCAA finish in 2007.

 

Hicks will begin her tenure at Nebraska on July 1, after she competes in the 2007 USA Shooting Rifle and Pistol National Championships this week at Fort Benning, Ga.

 

“Morgan Hicks will be a great addition to our Nebraska staff,” Pederson said. “She has accomplished a great deal in a relatively short coaching career and she has an impressive resume as a rifle competitor on both the collegiate and international level. Her combination of energy and expertise will provide our rifle program with outstanding direction.”

 

Hicks spent the 2006-07 season as MurrayState’s men's and women's head rifle coach.  In her first year at the helm of her alma mater, she not only led the Racers to a second-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference Championships, but also coached them to an eighth-place finish in their 26th NCAA rifle championship appearance. 

 

Hicks became the MurrayState head coach after serving two years as the volunteer assistant coach and graduate assistant. Prior to her MurrayState coaching experience, Hicks was a coach for the civilian marksmanship program, which honed rifle competitors across the United States.

 

As a rifle competitor, Hicks was an eight-time All-American for MurrayState from 2000-2004, where she was crowned the 2004 NCAA air rifle champion.  Hicks also has vast international experience, as she traveled to World Cups in Milan, Italy (2004, 2006) and Munich, Germany (2006) and the World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia (2006). 

 

She was a U.S. Olympic team member in 2004, where she earned a 12th-place finish at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Greece. Hicks also competed on the Junior Olympic team four times (1998-2001), earning the smallbore championship in 2001.

 

Hicks graduated from BethelHigh School in Spanaway, Wash., in 2000 before earning her bachelor’s degree in physical education and health from MurrayState in 2004.  She then went on to receive her Master’s degree in secondary education at MurrayState in 2006.  In addition to being an NCAA-certified coach, Hicks is the secretary and treasurer of the Collegiate Rifle Coaches Association and the USA Shooting Board of Directors Athletic Rifle representative. 

 

 

The Hicks File

Name:  Morgan Hicks

Hometown:      Roy, Wash.

Education:       Bachelor of Science, MurrayState, 2004;

                        Masters of Science, MurrayState, 2006

Head Coaching Experience:    Murray State, 2006-07

Other Coaching Experience:   Murray State, 2004-06

Awards and Honors:    Eight-time All-American for Murray State Rifle Team, 2000-2004;

                                    NCAA Air Rifle Champion, 2004;

                                    U.S. Olympic team member, 2004