Hood's new head women’s basketball coach brings to the program a stellar career record of more than three decades mentoring local talent.

Jack Mehl spent a total of 18 seasons at the helm of the Frederick Community College women's basketball program, guiding the Cougars to national prominence. The career mathematics teacher in the Frederick County School system and a graduate alumnus of Hood began his coaching career at the high school level in the early 1980s.

Mehl takes over the reins from Jay Butler, who served as the Blazers’ coach for four seasons. Butler is leaving for Mount St. Vincent, where he will be the director of athletics and recreation. The Blazers were 8-16 this past season, 3-13 in the CAC.

Mehl compiled a record of 393-162 (.708) at FCC from 1988-2002 and 2006-10, which included 11 consecutive seasons with at least 20 victories. During his two stints at FCC, the Cougars won six regional championships, five state titles and earned five national tournament berths. Mehl's best season at FCC came during the 2000-01 campaign when the Cougars finished as the runner-up in the national tournament. He has been honored with numerous coach of the year awards during his tenure.

Mehl also served as the varsity girls and junior varsity boys basketball coach at Brunswick High School, the assistant boys basketball coach at Linganore High School and the head coach of Brunswick Middle School's seventh and eighth grade squad.

Mehl has served as a mathematics department chair and teacher at Brunswick High School since 1979. He was also a student government adviser, an administrator of Brunswick's club program and a tutor and financial director for an after-school tutoring program.

The Basking Ridge, N.J., native earned a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics from Bucknell in 1979. He earned a master of arts degree in the human sciences with an individualized concentration in school curriculum from Hood in 1988. Mehl has garnered several professional accolades, including the 2007 Charles Tressler Distinguished Teacher Award. He was also inducted into the Alvin Quinn YMCA Hall of Fame in 2005 and was a finalist for the 1991 Mathematics Teacher of the Year Award by the Maryland Council of Teachers in Mathematics.