Barton College Head Women’s Basketball Coach Wendee Saintsing has announced her retirement at the end of the 2023-24 season.  Saintsing has been the Bulldogs’ mentor for the past 35 years.

Saintsing, who hit the 600-win mark for her collegiate career on Wednesday, January 3, in a 74-57 triumph over Chowan, ranks 10th all-time for current NCAA Division II women’s coaches with 604 victories.

Under Saintsing, the Bulldogs have earned 10 berths to the NCAA Division II National Tournament while 27 squads have produced winning records.  Saintsing also led Barton to seven Conference Carolinas Regular Season Championships and three Conference Carolinas Tournament Titles and was named the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year four times.

Saintsing recently led the Bulldogs to one of their best seasons ever in 2021-22 as Barton finished with a 28-2 record and won both the league’s regular season and tournament championships and earned a berth to the Southeast Regional Championship Tournament for the fourth time in five years.

“Barton College is grateful to Coach (Wendee) Saintsing for her long and accomplished service,” said Ken Tyler, Barton Vice President and Director of Athletics.  “Her 604 victories and 10 NCAA Tournament appearances are impressive enough, but it was her positive impact on countless student-athletes and colleagues where she made the biggest difference.  She led with a Christian, servant heart, and her legacy will be felt for generations through the people she coached and worked with.  Thank you, Coach!”

Saintsing also coached seven All-Americans during her tenure while four players scored 2,000 points during their career and a Bulldog student-athlete was named the Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Player of the Year 12 times.

Saintsing was honored in 2016 at the Conference Carolinas inaugural Legends of the Game banquet where she was given the Milestone Award and was honored in 2013-14 with election to the Chair of the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Committee. 

Saintsing, a 2018 Barton Sports Hall of Fame inductee, also coached softball and 18 seasons as Head Women’s Volleyball Coach at Barton where she compiled 314 victories.  In the Barton Division of Athletics, Saintsing also served as Senior Woman Administrator for a stint.

Saintsing earned her bachelor’s degree from High Point University and her master’s degree from Appalachian State.  Saintsing began working at Barton – formerly Atlantic Christian College – in 1987.

Statement from Wendee Saintsing:
Barton College has been a very special place to me over the last 37 years.  I have built many relationships and have seen student-athletes receive their degrees and leave this place and become very successful in the real world.

My wish for student-athletes entering the program was always to put in the work to get better and to learn valuable life lessons to be productive and successful people on departure.  My emphasis was always to teach that it’s not about you, it’s about the people around you and what you can do for them. 

I think that lesson goes a long way in living a meaningful happy life.  It was never about the wins and loses; it was about the experience.  I hope I have had a positive impact on most and all could take something positive away with them.  I will miss the day-to-day challenges, practices and game day.  But I look forward to what God has planned for me as I move to the next phase of my life.

Thanks, Barton College, for believing in me to teach and coach and giving me the opportunity to do so.

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