Converse University

Couch served as the director of athletics at Converse from 2006-2018. Under Couch’s leadership, Converse built a highly competitive intercollegiate athletic program as the only women’s college competing at the NCAA Division II level, including gaining full Division II membership, admission into Conference Carolinas, growing from 5 to 13 sports programs, and increasing the number of student athletes from 37 to 240. The rapid growth led to construction of the $3 million Marsha H. Gibbs Field House in 2014, which Couch credits as being instrumental in positioning Converse to build a winning program. In her final year at Converse, the athletics department was recognized by the NCAA for contributing the sixth highest number of community service hours in the nation, received the Allen Sharp Award for the highest academic success rate in Conference Carolinas, and the Valkyries swim team earned Scholar All-American for the eleventh consecutive year. In its inaugural season, the all-freshman Acro and Tumbling team qualified for the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association’s National Championship as the No. 8 seed.
 
Prior to her time at Converse, Couch was a coach and administrator in Spartanburg County Schools, serving as a physical education teacher and basketball coach in Spartanburg School Districts one, three, and six. Couch coached multiple sports was the head basketball coach at Broome High School, Chapman High School and Dorman High School. During her nine-year tenure at Dorman, the Cavaliers won a trio of 4A State Championships. Couch has earned recognition at the local and national levels, including being named the 2007 WBCA National High School Coach of the Year and coaching the 2004 Nike All-American game. Couch has numerous state and region coaching awards, with her career coaching record standing at 551-186.