PHOENIX (April 2, 2026) — Shea Ralph, head coach at Vanderbilt University, has been named the 2026 WBCA NCAA Division I Coach of the Year, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today. WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew will present Ralph with the Pat Summitt Trophy, named for the late legendary University of Tennessee coach, here later today.
“I am pleased to present the Pat Summitt Trophy to Shea Ralph, the 2026 WBCA Coach of the Year,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “Shea has led Vanderbilt through a remarkable season. An accomplished student-athlete, Shea now devotes her best to teaching the next generation. Her joy is powerful. She is a teacher at heart — measured, building on each experience, and protecting the journey with her student-athletes. She has lifted Vanderbilt to the top of the game, and this award is the ultimate blessing from her peers.”
The WBCA NCAA Division I Coach of the Year is selected by the WBCA NCAA Division I Awards Committee. This year’s finalists were:
| Name | School |
| Cori Close | UCLA |
| Jan Jensen | Iowa |
| Mark Kellogg | West Virginia |
| Kara Lawson | Duke |
| Shea Ralph | Vanderbilt |
| Lindsay Smith-Edmonds | Rice |
| Dawn Staley | South Carolina |
| Carly Thibault | Fairfield |
Visit WBCA.org to see a list of past recipients of the award.
About the WBCA
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association is 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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