Dr. Megan Buning

Dr. Megan Buning, CMPC, is a Teaching Specialist in the Interdisciplinary Center for Athletic Coaching (FSU COACH). She earned her doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Mississippi, her Master of Science in sport psychology from Florida State, and her Bachelor of Science in exercise science from the University of South Carolina. Megan holds the Certified Mental Performance Consultant certification that is a nationally recognized credential supported by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). She is also listed on the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Sport Psychology Registry.

As a previously tenured faculty and researcher, Megan established a line of research focused on the cross-over of sport and classroom concepts and strategies to improve coaching and teaching practices. She has published and presented both nationally and internationally in the coach education and sport psychology fields. During this time, she designed and taught graduate-level research methods courses and was heavily involved in designing, launching, and leading a new doctorate program. Now with FSU COACH, Megan’s teaching is a combination of both her athletic, coaching and faculty experiences guided by literature. She puts her research to use as she uses what she has learned about merging coaching in the classroom to help aspiring and experienced coaches and staff learn about the coaching profession in a structured learning environment.

Megan is married to Shaun Buning, D.PT, and they have two daughters. Emory is a lizard-loving middle schooler and Lucy is a spicy toddler. Their household is kept lively with the addition of a dog (Charlie), a cat (Sprite), and a bearded dragon (Rue). Megan was an All-American softball pitcher at the University of South Carolina and went on to play both professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch league and internationally with the British National Team. She was inducted into the University of South Carolina’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2013 followed by induction into the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) Women’s Legends class of 2017. She served as a talent analyst for the SECNetwork+ digital station and ACCNx  digital station from 2015 – 2022. Megan covered over 250 softball games primarily for the University of South Carolina in addition to Clemson and Florida State.