Melissa L. Hodgdon was named head coach of the Hartford women’s basketball team in April 2021. She enters her third season on the Hawks’ coaching staff, as she was previously the program's top assistant coach for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
Hodgdon arrived at Hartford in 2020 after a successful 16-year run as head coach of the women's basketball team at Wheaton College, where she led the Lyons to 20-or-more wins in three seasons.
Taking over the helm of the Lyons for the 2003-04 season, she piloted the team to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years in 2007-08 campaign after the team captured the program’s first New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Regular Season and Tournament titles. Winning a then school-record 12 conference games that year, Hodgdon was named NEWMAC Coach of the Year.
Hodgdon went on to bring Wheaton back to the NEWMAC Championship Game the following year, in 2008-09.
During each of Hodgdon's first five seasons, the Lyons continuously improved upon their win total from the previous year. In 2006-07, she coached Wheaton to the program’s first-ever appearance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament Championship Game.
Prior to her arrival at Wheaton, Hodgdon served as the top assistant for the women's basketball program at Holy Cross for four seasons. During her stint, the Crusaders captured three Patriot League championships, advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament three times (1999-2000, 2000-01, 2002-03), and the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) once (2001-02).
At Holy Cross, Hodgdon was responsible for all phases of recruiting, while also playing an integral role in the program's scouting, court preparation and bench coaching.
Hodgdon arrived at Holy Cross following two seasons as an assistant coach at Niagara. Prior to Niagara, she spent three years at the University of New Hampshire, including two as the Wildcats top assistant.
Hodgdon began her coaching career in 1991 at Framingham State, where she served as an assistant for one year before taking over the head coaching reigns at Wentworth Institute of Technology for two seasons. In her second year at Wentworth, she guided the Leopards to their most successful season in the program's nine years to that point.
In addition to her contributions to the collegiate varsity coaching circuit, Hodgdon has served in other capacities, including coaching recreational women's volleyball at New Hampshire in 1994 and working as the equipment and facilities manager at Wentworth. While working at Framingham State and Wentworth, she was also employed at Newton Country Day School from 1991-93.
Hodgdon is a 1991 graduate of Springfield College, where she earned a bachelor's degree in health education with a minor in psychology. She later received a master's degree in school counseling from Niagara.
A native of East Boothbay, Maine, she was a standout women's basketball player for four years at Springfield. Named team MVP and captain twice, Hodgdon still holds Springfield's single-game assists record.
