Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick is headed home.
After completing her fifth season as an assistant coach at Florida under head coach Amanda Butler, Kirkpatrick has accepted the head coaching job at UNC Asheville. Her new job with the Bulldogs is 31 miles from her hometown in Waynesville, N.C.
"Returning to Western North Carolina after being away for 16 years is a very special moment for me,"Kirkpatrick said at her introductory press conference Monday afternoon.
Kirkpatrick first joined Butler's staff at UNC Charlotte in 2005, where they led the 49ers to an Atlantic-10 Conference Co-Championship in their first season. She followed Butler to Florida in 2007.
During her time at UF, the Gators have won 98 games and earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2009 and 2012.
"Congrats to our girl @CoachMockUNCA on beginning her head coaching journey! UNC Asheville made a great choice! We will miss you girl!" Butler said in a tweet Monday.
Contact Joe Morgan at joemorgan@alligator.org.
