Idaho State University Athletic Director Jeff Tingey has announced a five-year extension for women’s basketball Head Coach Seton Sobolewski. The extension, which keeps Sobolewski at the head of ISU’s program till at least May 23, 2023, was finalized by the State Board of Education in a meeting this morning.
Sobolewski, the winningest coach in program history, carries a 171-142 overall record and 101-75 Big Sky Conference mark at the helm of Idaho State.
“It feels good,” Sobolewski said. “I’m just really happy that Jeff and the community and the university like what we have been doing. My family and I, we really feel we are a part of this community now. We probably have been for some time, but it’s nice that we get to stay here and raise our kids in a very safe community and let them go to good schools and be in a place where we can be happy.”
Sobolewski became ISU’s 12th coach in the 2008-09 season and led them to a fourth-place finish in the Big Sky. Since then, he has produced a winning BSC record in all but two seasons.
In 2012, Sobolewski secured Big Sky Coach of the Year honors after guiding Idaho State to Big Sky tournament and regular-season championships with a 24-8 overall record; 24 wins is second best in program history. The Bengals dropped just two Big Sky matches on the season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time. The team returned to the postseason the following year with a WNIT bid.
The 2013-14 season was special for the head coach as he surpassed Jon Newlee for most wins in program history with his 94th victory over his alma mater, Northern Arizona, on Feb. 1.
Sobolewski also led ISU to back-to-back championship games in the conference tournament in the 2016 and 2017 seasons. His 2017 team featured three all-conference honorees as Freya Newton secured Co-Defensive Player of the year, Estafania Ors secured Outstanding Freshman of the Year and Saylair Grandon earned Third Team All-Big Sky honors.
The Bengals have also done extremely well in the classroom and community under Sobolewski’s reign. Most recently, the women’s basketball team posted a 981 APR for the 2016-17 season, bringing their four-year average to 991.
After securing another 20-plus win season and the NCAA’s Most Improved Field Goal Shooting Award in 2017-18, Sobolewski feels the program is on course to continue its success.
“I’m really excited about the players we have committed right now,” Sobolewski said. “People are coming in and I think they’re going to keep the level of success, on and off the court, really high.”
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