Wrye-Washington enters her 19th season with the Cougars. Since her hiring at Columbia College in 2000 she has amassed a 677-107 (.863) record and currently stands as the program’s all-time wins leader. For her career Melinda has an overall record of 747-126 (.855). She has coached the Cougars to the NAIA national tournament in every season since 2000. Under her leadership she has led the Cougars to seven NAIA National Championship title match appearances (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2010, 2012, 2015), and has won two NAIA national titles in 2001 and 2015. Wrye-Washington has earned 11 American Midwest Conference Coach of the Year awards, five Region Five Coach of Year awards, and three NAIA National Coach of the Year awards. She has coached 51 All-Americans and 3 National Player of the Year recipients at Columbia College.
In 2015, Columbia picked up their fourth NAIA National Championship title and second under Wrye-Washington with a straight set win over Missouri Baptist University. Wrye-Washigton won her 13th AMC Championship and closed out the year with a 33-7 overall record. Wrye-Washington was named Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball National Championship Coach of the Year and had two players named NAIA All-Americans with one player (Penny Liu) receiving Player of the Year accolades.
Melinda guided the Cougars to a National Championship title match appearance in 2012, where the team fell to No. 1 ranked and undefeated Concordia (Calif.) University. Columbia finished the year 42-2 and landed four players on the NAIA All-American team, including National Player of the Year and tournament MVP Paula Ferreira. Washington was named the AMC Coach of the Year for the ninth time in her career and also earned her second NAIA National Coach of the Year award.
The Cougars appeared in the National Championship title match in 2010, falling to Fresno Pacific University to finish the year with a 42-3 record. Wrye-Washington had two players named First Team All-Americans and coached the NAIA Player of the Year in Paula Ferreira. Columbia earned a tie for third place at the NAIA National Tournament in 2011, finishing with an overall record of 39-4.
Washington led the cougars to her fourth NAIA National Championship title match appearance in 2005. In the title game Columbia fell to national champion California Baptist. Wrye-Washington had two players named to the all-tournament first team. She also had one player named First-Team All-American.
The 2002 squad finished with a mark of 32-7 and in 2003, the squad earned an appearance in the NAIA National Championship match before falling to Fresno Pacific University in the Championship game. In 2004, Washington's fifth year, the Cougars finished third in the NAIA National Tournament with a record of 43-5. For her efforts, she was named the NAIA AVCA Coach of the Year by her peers.
In 2001, Wrye-Washington won her first National Championship as the Cougars improved on their 2000 performance, finishing as the NAIA National Champions with a perfect record of 38-0. For her efforts, Wrye-Washington was named conference, region and national tournament coach of the year. Columbia College’s Kenny Moreno-Pino was named tournament MVP during the title run.
In 2000, her first season at the helm of the Cougar volleyball program, head coach Melinda Wrye-Washington surpassed all expectations. With a team composed of ten freshmen and three sophomores, Wrye-Washington led the youthful squad to a 44-2 finish and a second place finish at the NAIA National Tournament in West Palm Beach, Fla. For her efforts, she was named the American Midwest Conference and NAIA Region V Coach of the Year.
Melinda played three seasons at the University of Missouri where she was a team captain and an All-Big Eight Selection. She transferred to Columbia College for her senior season and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education in 1995. She earned a Masters in Athletic Administration and Sports Management from William Woods University.
During her senior season at Columbia College "Minnow" was named the first NAIA First Team All-American in Cougar volleyball history. That season, she led the squad to a 40-19 overall record, to an American Midwest Conference championship, and to the team's first-ever NAIA National Tournament appearance. In October of 2016, Melinda was honored as the newest member of the Columbia College Wall of Honor for her outstanding contributions during her time as a Cougar.
Following graduation from Columbia College, Wrye-Washington spent three seasons as head women's volleyball coach, head women's basketball coach and senior athletic administrator of Westminster College in Fulton, Mo. In her final season, she led the women's volleyball Blue Jays to a 23-6 record and the school's first ever appearance in the NCAA Division III National Tournament. In three years at Westminster, Melinda led the volleyball squad to the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships in 1998 and 1999, earning SLIAC Coach of the Year honors both seasons. She compiled a career record of 70-19 in her three years with the Westminster volleyball program. .
She currently resides in Holt Summit. She has two children, Michael, who is a senior at Westminster College studying education and Madison, who is in her second year at the United States Military Academy-West Point studying pre-law.
Updated 6-27-18
