Heather Gearhart was promoted to full-time Head Coach for the Eagles Volleyball program on December 14, 2022 after being with the program in various capacities since 2020.
Gearhart served as interim head coach in 2022, a season in which the Eagles won 16 matches, finishing third in the conference, making it to the Big South Tournament Semifinals, and having six players named Big South All-Conference, including setter Isabella Murray winning the Conference's Freshman of the Year award. Gearhart has been with the program full-time since February 2021.
"I am proud to remove the interim tag and officially name Heather Gearhart as Head Coach of this storied volleyball program," athletic director Chuck Rey said. "She has earned this position, not just with the success of this past season but through a year where most will never know the major obstacles she led this team to overcome. Her genuine passion and interest in the overall well-being and growth of each student-athlete speaks volumes of her character, but it's the student-athletes voice that is heard loudest when not a single one entered the transfer portal at the end of this season. This program is obviously close to my heart and she is absolutely the right fit at the right time for this next generation of student-athletes. She 'gets-them' and is already driving a culture of success, resilience, and integrity, all of which is deeply embedded in her DNA. She will lead this program to the greatest successes it has yet seen."
In her time at Winthrop, Gearhart has made Winthrop a force to be reckoned with defensively. Under her tutelage, the Eagles ranked 39th in Division I in opposing hitting percentage at .175. In the 2021 season, Gearhart guided the back court to Top 5 in NCAA DI in digs per set with 18.75, while also ranking 17th in NCAA DI in opponent hitting percentage. Madison Gorniak was also ranked Top-15 in the NCAA for digs in a 3-set match with 26 digs.
Offensively, Isabella Murray was also ranked 42nd in Division I in assists per set with 10.35 and currently sits at 10th all-time in Winthrop career assists. Gearhart has coached all-Big South selections in Morgan Bossler, Nikkia Benitez, Alayna Jansky, Avery Jolley, Isabella Murray (freshman of the year, 2021), Jana Owens, Brookelynn Thomas, Karli Shepherd, Teagan Sychterz, and Riley Oglevie. Bossler and Benitez have both gone on to continue playing professionally overseas following their careers as Eagles.
In Gearhart’s first two seasons as head coach, the Eagles made it to the conference semifinals and the conference championship before falling in five sets. In her second season at the helm in 2023, Gearhart led the team to an upset of in state foe South Carolina for the first time since 2013, as well as the program’s first trip back to the postseason since 2019 with an appearance in the NIVC tournament. She was also named to VolleyballMag’s College Coaching Hotshots list, which recognized 50 collegiate volleyball coaches across indoor men’s, indoor women’s, and collegiate beach volleyball programs. Gearhart continued the same trend in 2024, as in her third year leading the way she guided the Eagles to a second-straight conference championship appearance and a NIVC tournament berth. She was named as a recipient of The American Volleyball Coaches Association's 2025 College Thirty Under 30 Award, an award that recognizes the up-and-coming coaches in volleyball.
Off the court, the team has also garnered AVCA All-Academic Team honors with the team earning honor roll distinction in Gearhart’s first year, being in the top 15% of all team GPA’s across D1 NCAA volleyball programs. Atley Livingston earned the Big South’s Christenberry Award for academic excellence which honors the graduating student-athlete with the highest overall cumulative GPA. Livingston also earned the President’s Award for Academic Excellence graduating at Winthrop with the highest GPA in her graduating class. Karli Shepherd was also named to the CSC Academic All-District Volleyball Team.
Before joining the Eagles, Gearhart served as the assistant volleyball coach at the University of Akron for the 2019 season. During her time with the Zips, the team finished with the most overall wins since 2003 and made its first MAC tournament appearance since 2012. She coached all-MAC selections in Alexis Adleta, Emily Weigand, and all-time dig leader Taylor Sharrits. Prior to that, Gearhart served as the volunteer assistant coach at the University of Tennessee for the 2018 season. The team saw its largest single-season turnaround in program history with an overall 14-win increase, earning a NCAA tournament berth and advancing to the NCAA Second Round. Gearhart coached Madison Coulter to a new Tennessee postseason record for digs in a match (29) which ranked in the top-15 in program history for five-set matches. Gearhart coached all-SEC players in Erica Treiber, Tessa Grubbs, and Lily Felts.
The Chula Vista, California native was a student-athlete at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise & Sports Science with a minor in Coaching Education and was a four-year member of the volleyball team. During her time as a Tar Heel, the team made four NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to the second round in 2012 and 2015. During the 2014 season, the Tar Heels were ACC Champions, went to the NCAA Elite 8, had the highest RPI ranking in program history at #5, highest AVCA ranking at #7, and the longest winning streak in school history with 20 wins. Off of the court at Carolina, Gearhart was a member of the Dean's List, ACC Honor Roll, and ranked Top 15 out of all female student-athletes in the weight room. In 2015, Gearhart was selected as a member of the USA Collegiate National Team.
Following her NCAA career, Gearhart attended the University of Nottingham to earn her Master’s Degree in Marketing. While in England, she played for Nottingham's university team and professional team. She served as team captain of both teams, finishing the season Top 8 in the UK.
Gearhart currently lives in Charlotte with her husband, Derek Sullivan, who played at and now serves as the Head Men’s Volleyball Coach at Belmont Abbey College.
