North Carolina will hire Megan Smith Lyon as the program’s new head coach, sources confirmed to Extra Inning Softball.
A Tar Heel program alum and former assistant coach, Smith Lyon most recently spent five seasons as the head coach at Marshall. She led the program to a 160-70 overall record during her tenure.
During the 2023 season, Smith Lyon led Marshall to a program-record 23-game winning streak.
Prior to her tenure at Marshall, Smith Lyon spent nine seasons as head coach at Kansas, a tenure that included a pair of NCAA tournament appearances. Her resume also includes tenures on staff at LSU, North Carolina, Charlotte, and head coaching stints at Western Carolina and Young Harris College.
In the 2023 season, the Tar Heels posted an overall record of 26-28 and a conference showing of 13-10. Longtime head coach Donna Papa retired last month after 38 seasons at the helm of the program.
