Jennifer Baker, women’s basketball coach at North Mecklenburg High School, was named the 2025-26 Female Coach of the Year by

the N.C. High School Athletic Association after leading the Vikings to the 2026 7A Women's Basketball State Championship. It was North Mecklenburg’s first state championship in 40 years and the second in school history.

“You have to have an undeniable will of togetherness and of trust in each other to reach a state championship,” Baker said, “and it’s not just the kids. It’s their parents as well.”

Baker, the program’s all-time winningest coach with 326 victories, guided the Vikings to a 29-2 record while also serving as the school’s interim athletic director. She has been with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for 21 years, the last 18 of those at North Mecklenburg.

North Mecklenburg Principal Stephanie Hood said Baker is an example of excellence in every way and holds high expectations for her students in the classroom, as well as on the basketball court.

“She is a creative teacher and has been a mentor to other teachers. She holds herself to high standards, and her students can see that she is a model for them,” Hood said. “It is a pleasure to work with her as a coach and as an athletic director. To see her hard work recognized through winning a state championship and being selected as the women’s high school coach of the year for the state is an honor. It shows our students and school community that hard work, high standards and consistency will lead you to the top of your game.”