ATLANTA (March 14, 2019) — Adrienne Shibles, head coach at Bowdoin College, has been named the 2019 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
Shibles will be presented with the Pat Summitt Trophy, named for the late legendary University of Tennessee coach and awarded annually to the United States Marine Corps/WBCA National Coach of the Year in each of the WBCA’s six membership divisions, during the 2019 WBCA Convention, which will be held in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa Bay, Florida.
"The WBCA is proud to name Adrienne Shibles as the 2019 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year," said Danielle Donehew, executive director of the WBCA. "Adrienne was selected as the winner by her peers after leading her team to an exceptional season. The WBCA recognizes and applauds her leadership example that can be seen in her student-athletes, institution and community.”
Shibles is in her 11th season as the head coach at Bowdoin. Her 236th career victory, which came this past January, made her the winningest women’s basketball coach in the school’s history. In her first season with the team, she set a record for most wins by a first-year coach with 24 victories. That season, the Polar Bears won their eighth New England Small College Athletic Conference Championship and made their ninth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In 2015 and 2016, she led the team to the Sweet Sixteen and in 2017-18 to its second-ever final four and ended as national runners-up. This season, the team has again advanced to the final four.
“The United States Marine Corps proudly recognizes Adrienne Shibles for her leadership with the Polar Bears and her commitment to women’s basketball,” said Lieutenant Colonel Christian Devine, national director, marketing and communications, Marine Corps Recruiting Command. “The hard work and dedication needed to achieve this recognition from her peers embodies the fighting spirit of all Marines.”
The NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year is selected by a committee of coaches. This year’s finalists were:
|
NAME |
SCHOOL |
|
Bob Amsberry |
Wartburg College |
|
Michelle Bielanski Filander |
Austin College |
|
Brad Fischer |
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh |
|
Jeff Hans |
Thomas More University |
|
Michael Miller |
Messiah College |
|
Fred Richter |
DeSales University |
|
James Seward |
State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz |
Visit www.wbca.org/recognize/ to see a list of past recipients.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.