Molnar Selected to Lead Women's Basketball Program

HUNTINGDON, Pa.- The Juniata College Athletics Department is pleased to announce the appointment of the 12th head coach of the women's basketball program, Marissa Molnar. 

"We are thrilled to welcome Marissa to the Juniata athletics family as our next Head Women's Basketball coach," said Director of Athletics Nikki Ayers. "Marissa's passion for the game, impressive basketball knowledge, and strong recruiting background will prove to be an asset to our women's basketball program. Her commitment to the Division III student-athlete experience and to excellence will be a welcome addition to our department, and I am confident that she will bring our program to new heights. We are excited to welcome her to campus here soon!"

Molnar comes to Juniata after spending the past two seasons at Franklin and Marshall where she was an assistant coach and the recruiting coordinator. On top of her recruiting duties, she put together practice plans, led individual workouts, and helped implement new fundraising initiatives. She was also responsible for all aspects of travel for the team and also oversaw academic monitoring for the program. During her time with Diplomats, one player received Centennial All-Conference Honors, and five received Academic All-District Honors. 

"I am extremely excited and honored to accept the Head Women's Basketball position at Juniata College," said Molnar. "I first want to thank everyone who was involved in the search process at JC. As soon as I stepped on campus, I felt welcomed. I would like to thank all of my past and present mentors for providing me with the experience and confidence to take this next step in my coaching career. I would also like to thank Athletic Director, Nikki Ayers, for giving me this opportunity to lead the Juniata College women's basketball team. I am extremely excited to elevate the program to the next level and guide our athletes to the highest level of success both on and off the court. 

Prior to F&M, she spent two years as the graduate assistant at Misericordia, where she had the same responsibilities. The Cougars appeared in the Middle Atlantic Conference Semifinals and had four players receive all-conference honors during that time.  

She graduated from Misericordia with her MBA in sports management in the spring of 2022.

Molnar got her start to coaching at Bloomsburg, where she helped the team to 14 wins and an appearance in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference quarterfinals. 

She was a four-year member of the team for the Huskies, appearing in more than 100 games as the team made the postseason each of her four years. 

She earned her bachelor's degree in education, specializing in early childhood and special education.