The Women's Basketball Coaches Association has named Assistant Coach Hannah Varel as a member of their 30 Under 30 class. The WBCA Thirty Under 30 program was created to recognize 30 up-and-coming women's basketball coaches aged 30 and under at all levels of the game. Each honoree has exemplified their involvement in community service, mentorship and impact on others, professional manner, and attitude and professional association involvement.

The 2022-2023 season is Hannah Varel's third year as an assistant coach for the Transylvania women's basketball team, which has one more game, the NCAA Division III National Championship on April 1st, going into the game 32-0.  

In her first season at Transylvania, they achieved their third straight Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship, winning 69-65 over Hanover in March 2021. In a season altered by the pandemic with no NCAA Tournament, Varel helped guide the Pioneers to a 14-6 overall record, including a season-ending string of eight wins in the final nine games.

In 2021-2022 she played an integral role as Transylvania defeated a pair of top ranked opponents in Tufts and John Carroll, on their way to the program's first ever undefeated regular season at 21-0, while being ranked in the coaches' poll as high as the #2 team in the country. The Pioneers earned their fourth consecutive HCAC Title and with Varel helping lead the way, the team went on an unforgettable NCAA Tournament run where they reached the Elite Eight, and finished the season at 27-1 overall. 

At the 2022 Rafy's, Varel was part of the staff that earned Transylvania Coaching Staff of the Year award, with four of her players taking All-HCAC honors. Mentored by Varel, Madison Kellione earned numerous accolades including First Team All-HCAC, D3 Hoops Team of the Week, All-Region First Team, and the 2022 Transylvania Athlete of the Year from a women's sport last year. This year, she helped coach Kellione to a WBCA First-Team All-American selection among all-HCAC and all-region honors. Dasia Thornton and Kennedi Stacy have also earned all-HCAC and all-region honors under the staff Varel serves. 

Varel joined the Pioneers from fellow Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference member Hanover College, where she had spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Panthers women's basketball program.

"Hannah is an exceptionally hardworking coach with a natural ability to connect with players on and off the court," says Transylvania women's basketball head coach Juli Fulks. "She understands what championship basketball requires. She is an integral part of our staff and basketball family."

A familiar face in the HCAC, Varel was part of the 2019-2020 HCAC Coaching Staff of the Year as she helped the Panthers achieve a 17-1 record in conference play, tying Hanover's best overall win total in four seasons and assisted the Panthers in reaching the HCAC Tournament Championship game for the first time in five seasons.

Prior to her arrival in Hanover, Varel spent three years with PricewaterhouseCooper in St. Louis, Missouri as an Assurance Senior Associate, managing twenty team members. She also served as a team captain for the PwC International Basketball Tournament for a traveling team in Athens, Greece during the summer of 2018.

Varel is a 2015 graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in Accountancy and later gained her CPA in the Missouri State Board of Accountancy. Following her graduation, Varel gained coaching experience as an assistant women's basketball coach at Columbia High School from 2015 through 2018.

Varel is a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association and has served as a Student-Athlete Advisory Board Faculty Advisor since September of 2019.

"Coach Varel is one of the best assistants, in any sport, that I have had the pleasure of knowing and watching. She is an important key to our success both on and off the court," said Vice President of Athletics, Dr. Holly Sheilley.