Spirk Announces Retirement after 38 Seasons and 45 Years at Moravian Effective May 1
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University Athletics Department has announced that Mary Beth Spirk will be retiring as Head Women’s Basketball Coach at the end of the current season and as Director of Athletics on May 1, 2026 after 45 years working for the Greyhounds.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian University Athletics Department has announced that Mary Beth Spirk will be retiring as Head Women's Basketball Coach at the end of the current season and as Director of Athletics on May 1, 2026 after 45 years working for the Greyhounds.
"Mary Beth has shaped Moravian University for the past 45 years in ways that are impossible to overstate," Moravian University President Dr. Bryon L. Grigsby '90 said. "She is not only an outstanding women's basketball coach, but for the last nine years she has also excelled as our Director of Athletics. Mary Beth became head women's basketball coach while I was a student at Moravian, so I had the privilege of witnessing the beginning of an extraordinary coaching career—one that has led the Greyhounds to nine NCAA tournament appearances. It is truly bittersweet to stand here at the close of that remarkable journey. She has been a tireless advocate for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund's Play4Kay initiative, and it is extraordinary that Moravian has raised more than $250,000 under her leadership for that cause. Off the court, Mary Beth's impact as AD has been transformational: she has overseen the addition of three sports, significant upgrades to many of our athletic facilities, and the raising of over one million dollars through our annual Athletics Giving Challenge. Mary Beth will be deeply missed. We are profoundly grateful for her vision, leadership, and devotion to Moravian over the last four and a half decades."
Spirk arrived at Moravian University, then College, in October 1981 shortly after her graduation from Dickinson College as an assistant women's basketball coach, and she is now in her fifth decade as at the school that has seen her win over 650 games as Head Women's Basketball Coach in 38 seasons as well as serve as Director of Athletics & Recreation since June of 2017. Spirk's tenure at Moravian has also seen her serve as an assistant softball coach, head softball coach, associate professor of physical education, assistant athletics director beginning in 2001 and moving to associate athletics director and Senior Woman Administrator in 2011.
"For more than four decades, Mary Beth Spirk has embodied what it means to lead with passion, purpose, and heart," stated Dr. Nicole L. Loyd, Moravian University Executive Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer and Dean of Students as well as Spirk's direct supervisor. "From her remarkable success on the basketball court to her visionary leadership as Director of Athletics, she has consistently placed student-athletes at the center of every decision, shaping not only championship programs but confident, prepared graduates. Her advocacy for athletics, commitment to equity, and dedication to building a culture of excellence have strengthened Moravian in lasting and meaningful ways. Mary Beth's influence reaches far beyond wins and championships—she has transformed lives, elevated our department, and inspired generations of Greyhounds. We congratulate her on an exceptional career and look forward to honoring the profound legacy she leaves behind. Coach Spirk reflects the very best of Moravian University."
Spirk is finishing her 38th season on the Moravian sideline, and she has guided the 2025-26 Hounds into the postseason for the 34th time in her career as the squad will make its 16th Landmark Conference Tournament appearance on Tuesday, February 24 at a site to be determined. Spirk has guided the Greyhounds to a 657-359 record in her career, and she is tenth among active coaches and 20th in total victories in NCAA Division III history. Spirk has coached the Blue & Grey to seven Middle Atlantic Southeast titles, three Middle Atlantic South Championships, two Middle Atlantic Conference crowns, nine NCAA bids, three "Sweet 16" appearances, an ECAC Championship in 2007, and most recently the 2010 Landmark Conference Championship. In 2019, Spirk surpassed the 600-win milestone with a 13-point rally over rival Muhlenberg College. She has coached 24 1,000-point scorers, 15 All-Americans, countless All-Conference performers, and a National Player of the Year in Kathy Beck.
The 1991-92 season saw the Greyhounds enjoy the most successful season the college has ever experienced. Their 31-2 campaign culminated in hosting the Final Four, an article in Sports Illustrated and a National Runner-Up finish. Spirk's efforts that year netted her the Women's Basketball Coaches Association National Coach of the Year award, as well as MAC and Mid-Atlantic Region Honors. She is a ten-time Conference Coach of the Year including Landmark Conference Coaching Staff of the Year in 2010.
Spirk has been instrumental in helping Moravian lead NCAA Division III in fundraising for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund over the last 17 years with the Greyhounds raising more than $253,420, including a high mark of $21,662 in 2017. The Hounds have led DIII in Play4Kay each year since 2009, and the Kay Yow Cancer Fund donated $50,000 in Spirk's name to the St. Luke's Hospital Cancer Center to the fight against Cancer in February 2025. This year's Play4Kay game was on Saturday, February 14, 2026 in Johnston Hall as the Greyhounds defeated Lycoming College, 75-61, to clinch the berth to the postseason.
Last March, Spirk was selected as one of the 28 winners of the 2024-25 National Association of Collegiate Athletics AD of the Year Award. Since she took over as Director of Athletics & Recreation, Spirk has guided major growth in the department. Since 2017, Moravian has added three varsity sports (men's & women's swimming in 2021-22 and women's golf in 2023-24), finished making all head coaching positions full-time staff members, worked on a proposal that will ensure all sport program have at least one full-time assistant coach by 2026, began Moravian's successful annual Athletics Giving Challenge in 2019 that has raised $1,020,188 in seven years including a record $181,988 in November 2024, revamped the athletic department's mission statement, core values and brand standards in 2024, move the department to strictly online ticket sales through HomeTown Ticketing in 2023 and signed a contract to transition the entire department to Teamworks in 2025.
Spirk has also overseen many facility upgrades in her tenure as AD including new turf at Rocco Calvo Field in 2018 along with a digital scoreboard and a new track surface in 2024, a state of the art golf simulator room for the golf program in 2023, new bleachers and a digital scorer's table in Johnston Hall in 2021, a new Mondo surface in Timothy Breidegam Fieldhouse in 2020, a new scoreboard on John Makuvek Field in 2023, a new indoor hitting area for baseball in 2025, upgrades to the athletic training room, equipment room, student-athlete performance center, a new turf surface on John Makuvek Field in 2025, the lobby of Johnston Hall and the conference room in Johnston Hall in the last two years.
Her leadership roles also extend to the Landmark Conference where she served as Vice-Chair of the Athletic Directors group from 2020 to 2022, and Chair from 2022 to 2024. During her tenure as chair, Spirk helped the Landmark Conference work a deal to play basketball games at the historic Palestra in Philadelphia, assist with a media rights deal with FloSports, develop the conference football media day as the Landmark added the sport in 2023 and assist with expanding the conference's membership to ten schools.
Spirk is an ambassador for women's athletics speaking at local schools as well as attending national conferences on gender equity and Title IX. She has volunteered at the NCAA sponsored "YES Clinic'' during the women's Final Four five times. The "YES Clinic" provides basketball instruction to underprivileged youth in the city of the Final Four. Spirk served her eighth and final year on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Board of Directors, one of only three Division III coaches on the Board, in 2018-19. She is also a member of the WBCA Coach Mentor program, and Spirk has served as the Chair for the WBCA All-American Committee for over 10 years.
On the softball diamond, Spirk took over the program in 1988 and guided Moravian to a 104-57 mark in six seasons including a then school record 23 victories in 1991. She coached 14 Middle Atlantic Conference Southeast League First Team All-Star selections.
In addition to her bachelor's degree from Dickinson, Spirk completed her Master's in Sports Administration at the United States Sports Academy in Alabama in 2002.
What Else They Are Saying About Mary Beth Spirk
"In Division III athletics, we often talk about education through sport — but Mary Beth lived it every single day. Her 657 wins, NCAA appearances, and championships only begin to tell the story. The real legacy is in the hundreds of young women and coaches she empowered to lead with confidence, serve with humility, and compete with integrity. She built more than programs — she built people. As Athletic Director, she elevated Moravian Athletics with vision; as a coach, she shaped lives; and as a mentor, she changed mine. I am deeply grateful for her leadership, her example, and her friendship. The impact she leaves behind at Moravian will be felt for generations, and I know I am just one of many who are better — both professionally and personally — because Mary Beth Spirk chose to invest in us." – Rebecca May, Moravian University Senior Associate Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator
"Coach Spirk is one of those rare people who changes you just by being in your corner. In the seven years I've had the privilege of working with her, she's helped shape my confidence, my leadership, and my belief in what's possible. She has a way of seeing something in you before you see it in yourself, and that gift has impacted countless people across this conference and beyond. I didn't play for her, but I will always call her Coach, because that's who she is at her core. She's a mentor, a friend, and someone I can't imagine my world without. We will miss her presence deeply, but her influence will always be part of us." – Katie Boldvich, Landmark Conference Commissioner
"When I think of Mary Beth's career at Moravian, the one word that comes to mind is legacy. She has touched the lives of countless student-athletes by instilling in us the values of teamwork, community, service, hard work, resilience, and dedication. As a former player, I can honestly say that my life has been transformed through her leadership, mentorship, and friendship. I have also had the greatest pleasure to coach alongside her for over two decades. Her wins, championships, and NCAA appearances are all very impressive, however Mary Beth will be the first to tell you that it has never been about the accolades. It's been about guiding young people through their college years and seeing them become successful teachers, doctors, nurses, business leaders, and mothers. She does it all with compassion, humility, and strength. On behalf of all your former players, thank you Coach Spirk, for everything!" – Amy Endler '93, former Moravian women's basketball student-athlete, Moravian Athletics Hall of Fame Inductee and currently Moravian University Assistant Women's Basketball Coach
"Mary Beth has made an incredible impact on so many lives, including mine. As a woman in leadership, she has always inspired me. I remember attending Moravian basketball camp as a little girl and later being a student-athlete at Moravian, watching her lead with compassion, dedication, and unwavering commitment. Having the opportunity to work closely with her as an employee at Moravian has been truly special. She has been an amazing coach, mentor, and role model, and her legacy will continue to shape Moravian for years to come." – Dior George Maraino '15, former Moravian softball student-athlete and currently Moravian University Director of Human Resources
"38 seasons, 657 wins, and 34 postseason appearances—what an incredible career. While those numbers are impressive, they don't fully capture Mary Beth's impact. Her greatest gift to Moravian has always been her unwavering devotion to her student-athletes. I still remember her telling me, "No matter how you are doing—good or bad—you have to be there for your athletes." She lived that philosophy every day. Mary Beth consistently checked in after games, win or lose, which was no small task considering there could be as many as five games on a single Saturday in the fall. That kind of commitment speaks volumes about who she is as a coach and as a person. I hope she knows how deeply she is appreciated and how tough—and inspiring—she has always been. While her time on the sidelines may be coming to a close, I'm grateful that our relationship will continue, not just as colleagues, but as friends. With Phillies season right around the corner, I'm especially looking forward to our group texts during the games—because some traditions are too good to retire." – Robert Wilkinson, Moravian University Head Men's Soccer Coach
"When you think of Moravian Women's Basketball and Moravian Athletics, there has been one constant leader, Mary Beth Spirk. Her love for Moravian, for our athletic department, for her fellow coaches, and for our student-athletes is truly unmatched. Her dedication will leave a lasting impact on this department for years to come. She created an incredible legacy and truly left this department better than she found it. She has not only built successful programs, but she has also built relationships, character, and a standard of excellence that will continue to guide us. On a personal level, I am most grateful for her mentorship, leadership, and friendship. She has guided so many of us not only as professionals but as people."– Mariana Freitas, Moravian University Director of Tennis
"Mary Beth was on my selection committee when I was hired here in 2011, and what stood out to me at that time, and was a big factor in me choosing to work here, was the longevity of employees in the department. Mary Beth was one of those people, and when she took over as Athletics Director, I distinctly remember her emphasizing this in her first meeting with the coaches. One of the reasons she was taking on this additional role was because she wanted to ensure Moravian maintained that family atmosphere she had grown to love about this department and institution. She knew it was what made people want to make Moravian their career destination. Moravian was more than just a place to punch the clock; it was a true home and an extended family. She absorbed an unenviable workload because of her vision to help maintain Moravian's unique atmosphere. She worked tirelessly to ensure our department maintained and even enhanced this mentality. This was a point of emphasis in every athletics staff meeting. She'd send 10:00 pm weekend texts and emails to athletes and coaches checking in on or congratulating them on their successes. If she had a spare minute, you could count on her being at a meet or game. Her door was always open for the countless people she had impacted to stop in and say "Hi," or ask for advice and a favor. She made herself visible and available to everyone. She was truly never "off the clock" and cared more for every other athlete, coach, or individual than she did for herself. As a leader of the department, in addition to putting everyone else's needs and time above her own, she was extremely patient and understanding which made it easy to coach. I made myriad errors, but she gave me and others the space and time to learn from, correct, and grow as a professional from those learning lessons. It's something I've tried never to take for granted. Above all, she never wanted the credit for what she did. I can't accurately portray what a benefit she was to this department, 1,000s of student athletes, alums, and stakeholders in Moravian athletics. Moravian athletics has grown exponentially in numbers of student athletes, the quality of facilities, success on the court/field, and the camaraderie within these walls all thanks to the tireless efforts from Mary Beth Spirk" – Jesse Baumann, Moravian University Director of Cross Country and Track & Field
