After an extensive national search, Stephanie Gehlhausen has been named Lander University women’s basketball head coach. She becomes the 11th head women’s basketball coach in Lander University history.
“We are thrilled to welcome Stephanie to the Bearcat family. She has been one of, if not the top assistants in Division II at Ashland. She is a great fit for us, and we feel like she will be able to continue the success the women’s basketball program has had over the years,” Athletic Director Brian Reese said.
Gehlhausen comes to Lander from Ashland University, where she served as the Associate Head Women’s Basketball coach since 2018. In 2018, she was named a WBCA Thirty Under Thirty honoree, and in 2020 she was named the WBCA Division II National Assistant Coach of the Year.
In her four seasons, Ashland was consistently ranked in the top-25 while going 105-15 and made the NCAA Tournament each year, with the Eagles reaching the Sweet 16 in 2020-21. Ashland finished the 19-20 season 31-0 and number two in the country before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gehlhausen also served as the recruiting coordinator for the Eagles, recruiting and coaching three All-Americans, two Academic All-Americans, five All-Region selections, and 14 All-Conference selections. She was also responsible for implementing the defensive scheme that saw the Eagles lead the conference in forced turnovers each year and finished in the top five in the conference in field goal defense, three-point defense, points allowed, and rebound margin. Before Ashland, Gehlhausen served as an assistant at Western Colorado for two seasons, following four seasons on the staff at Southern Indiana, where she also played basketball for two seasons.
“I’m truly honored to be the next Head Coach of the women’s basketball team at Lander University,” Gehlhausen said. “I want to thank Brian Reese, Dr. Cosentino, and the rest of the search committee for believing in me and giving me this incredible opportunity. I’d also like to thank my circle of mentors who have prepared me for this new journey, specifically my great friend, mentor, and boss Kari Pickens for showing me how to genuinely invest in people, lead selflessly, and lift others up in love. I will forever be grateful for the time I spent at Ashland and can’t wait to build on the culture of success that has been established here at Lander!”
What they are saying…
“Stephanie is a tremendous hire for Lander University. Her commitment to excellence in all areas of life as well as her passion for helping her student-athletes become better basketball players AND better people is special and rare. We will miss her immensely in our program, but wish her the best as she continues to make the world a better place through the avenue of sport!”
- Kari Pickens, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, Ashland University
“I was blessed to be able to Coach Stephanie and to also have her as an assistant coach on my staff. Stephanie was one of the most competitive players that I have ever coached. She was a team first player with a winning attitude, and she has carried that same winning mindset into her coaching. Stephanie is a proven winner, who has made an immediate impact every place she has been. I have no doubt that she will do the same at Lander University.”
- Rick Stein, Head Women’s Basketball Coach, University of Southern Indiana
