The University of Wisconsin-Superior and Yellowjacket Athletics have announced the hiring of Emily Carpenter in the role of interim women’s basketball head coach. Carpenter succeeds Zach Otto-Fisher, who resigned in May.
Carpenter returns to Superior after spending the last two seasons as an assistant softball coach at Gustavus Adolphus College.
“We are excited to welcome Emily back to campus to lead our women’s basketball program,” UW-Superior Director of Athletics Nick Bursik said. “Her passion for the game and commitment to supporting the student-athlete experience will have an immediate impact on our program.”
Carpenter is no stranger to UW-Superior and Yellowjacket athletics, having played four seasons on the Yellowjacket basketball team and two seasons with the softball team. On the hardwood, Carpenter appeared in 106 games, ranking her fifth on the program’s all-time list. She made 54 starts at point guard over her final two seasons, and finished her career with 336 assists, second-most in program history.
The St. Peter, Minnesota native was a prolific three-point shooter for the Yellowjackets, and ranks second all-time in three pointers made (160) and fourth all-time in three-point field goal percentage (.415). In 2019-20 Carpenter attempted 151 three pointers and made 63, both the most in a single season in program history. Carpenter was part of Yellowjacket teams that won three UMAC regular season championships and two UMAC tournament titles. She helped the Yellowjackets advance to the NCAA tournament as both a freshman and a sophomore.
“First, I want to thank Nick Bursik for giving me this opportunity. I am grateful to be back in the Yellowjacket community and be a part of a program that has helped develop the person I am today,” Carpenter said. “I’m looking forward to getting to work with a talented group of women. I believe that this team has all of the right tools to have a very successful season and I’m very excited to see the hard work pay off.”
Carpenter’s first season guiding the Yellowjackets is scheduled to begin with a contest against St. Scholastica Nov. 15.
