South Carolina’s Dawn Staley named 2022 WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year

MINNEAPOLIS (March 31, 2022) — University of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has been named the 2022 WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today.

Staley was presented the Pat Summitt Trophy, named for the late legendary University of Tennessee coach and awarded annually to the national coaches of the year in each of the WBCA’s six membership divisions, earlier today in Minneapolis.

“The WBCA is proud to announce Dawn Staley as the 2022 recipient of the Pat Summitt Trophy presented to the WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle M. Donehew. “We also congratulate the other head coaches who were selected by their peers as finalists for this prestigious award.

“A two-time WBCA Coach of the Year honoree, Dawn sustains success at the highest level as she leads her South Carolina team. She is devoted to her student-athletes, the Columbia, South Carolina, community, and the growth of the game. Dawn was chosen by her peers for this award after leading her team to another exceptional season. She is very deserving of the WBCA’s highest honor in the coaching profession.”

Donehew continued: “Beyond her success on the court, Dawn represents coaches of women’s basketball in our fight for gender equity and is a source of encouragement and inspiration for other Black coaches. She is more than a successful head coach. She is a leader of and a voice for the profession.”

The WBCA NCAA Division I National Coach of the Year is selected by a committee of coaches. This year’s finalists were:

NAME

SCHOOL

Katie Abrahamson-Henderson

University of Central Florida

Natasha Adair

University of Delaware

Jennie Baranczyk

University of Oklahoma

Kim Barnes Arico

University of Michigan

Kamie Ethridge

Washington State University

Kelly Rae Finley

University of Florida

Kevin McGuff

Ohio State University

Wes Moore

North Carolina State University

Kim Mulkey

Louisiana State University

JR Payne

University of Colorado

Lynne Roberts

University of Utah

Dawn Staley

University of South Carolina

Jeff Walz

University of Louisville

Visit www.wbca.org/recognize/ to see a list of past recipients of the award.

About the WBCA
For 40 years, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association has been the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, 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 WBCA.org for more details about the association.

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