One of Monroe County's all-time great women's basketball players has taken on a new role in her post-playing career.
Megan Shoniker, who starred at Arcadia High School in Greece in the mid-2000s and led the team to its only NYSPHSAA title in 2004, has accepted the job as head women's basketball coach at the University of New Hampshire, a Division I program. America East Conference.
Shonikar was introduced as the program's new head coach during a press conference Thursday, following his official announcement last month.
“We had a huge pool of candidates, some great candidates…but Megan Shoniker stood out above everyone,” UNH Director of Athletics Allison Rich said. “She has great experience at multiple institutions, is an outstanding athlete, and has worked in all aspects of coaching and leading teams. We are really excited to have her here. .”
“I'm very passionate, energetic, competitive, but also very positive,” Shonikar said when asked about his coaching style. “My ultimate goal for young women is to inspire and motivate them and put them in the best position possible to succeed not only on the court but in life.”
Shoniker was named All-Greater Rochester four times and Monroe County Division II Player of the Year three times during his Interscholastic career. Shoniker averaged 16.3 points, 5.6 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 steals his freshman year as the 24-1 Titans advanced toward a Class AA state title.
Shoniker graduated in 2007 as Monroe County's all-time leading scorer with 2,216 points.
After Arcadia, Shoniker played four seasons at the University of Rhode Island, where he holds program records for minutes played, free throws made and field goal attempts. After that, she played professionally for one year in Belarus.
Shonikar’s coaching journey began in 2012 at St. John Fisher University, where she assisted the women’s basketball program in various capacities as a graduate student. After stops at Canisius, Binghamton and Rhode Island, Shonikar was named New Hampshire's next head coach.
The Wildcats finished 9-20 in 2023-24 and haven't posted a winning record since the 2017-18 season.