Following one of the most successful careers in Division III history, Babson College head women’s basketball coach Judy Blinstrub announced her retirement.
Blinstrub coached 1,049 games during her 39-year career amassing a career record of 719-330 for a .685 winning percentage. She ranks 11th in Division III history in victories and led the Beavers to the postseason 23 times, which includes 12 NCAA Tournament appearances.
“Judy has played an integral role in the growth and success of not only the women’s basketball program but our department as a whole over the last four decades,” commented Pamela P. and Brian M. Barefoot Associate Vice President for Athletics and Athletics Advancement Mike Lynch. “She has had a remarkable career on the sidelines and has influenced hundreds of student-athletes as a coach and an administrator. Judy is a wonderful colleague and friend and I am deeply appreciative for all that she has done for Babson. She is an all-time great in the best people category and is a fierce proponent for insuring our student-athletes had the very best opportunities for success.”
Hired as the head women’s basketball and soccer coach in 1984 after serving as a coach and athletics director at Mount Alvernia High School and the Brimmer & May School, Blinstrub is the only coach in Division III history to record more than 700 wins in basketball and 200 in soccer. Her teams captured at least a share of 16 regular season titles league titles and nine conference tournament championships on the hardwood.
Blinstrub led the Beavers to their first MAIAW State Championship in 1986, an ECAC Tournament berth in 1988 and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1993. She guided the Green and White to its first New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament title in 1999 and helped her teams win 20 or more games 11 times in 14 full seasons from 2008-09 through 2022-23.
Babson captured the first of five consecutive conference championships in 2009 and won 85 consecutive games against NEWMAC opponents while claiming four straight regular season titles from 2010-13. Under Blinstrub’s tutelage, the Beavers followed up the first NCAA Tournament sectional final appearance in school history in 2010 by winning their first 30 games before falling to eventual national champion Amherst College in the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight in 2011.
“Babson has been a part of my family and my home for so long,” said Blinstrub. “I have so many wonderful memories to reflect on. The student-athletes that I have had the opportunity to coach and mentor will forever have a special place in my heart. I will always treasure all the relationships I have formed in the Babson community and beyond throughout my career.”
Blinstrub led her 2017 squad to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 after winning conference regular season and tournament titles, and concluded her career on a high note by leading her 2022-23 team to a 26-6 record and the program’s third NCAA quarterfinal before falling to Rhode Island College inside Staake Gymnasium.
Over her 39-year tenure, Blinstrub’s teams finished with a winning record 34 times and recorded 20 or more victories on 16 occasions. A six-time conference and four-time regional coach of the year, Blinstrub’s players earned 17 All-America awards, 41 all-region accolades and 66 all-conference honors.
In addition to her success on the sidelines, Blinstrub has served as Babson’s Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) and has been a part of the department’s senior staff for more than three decades. She was the Beavers’ acting athletics director in 2005-06, was elevated to the position of senior associate athletics director in 2019 and has played a pivotal role in mentoring both fellow coaches and student-athletes while partnering with campus and outside groups to promote life and leadership skills throughout her time in Babson Park.
