Whittier College Athletics has introduced Kristen Dowling as the next head coach of their women’s basketball program, effective immediately.
From her playing days at the University of Redlands to her seven-year coaching stint at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Dowling is no stranger to The SCIAC. She is also no stranger to success as the owner of six SCIAC regular season championships with the Athenas, as well as four NCAA Division III Tournament appearances.
“I’m ecstatic to welcome Kristen as the new face of our women’s basketball program,” Director of Athletics Rock Carter said. “Her track record speaks for itself. She is proven leader of young women on and off the basketball court and brings with her a zeal for excellence and a determination to produce both winning teams and successful student-athletes. Kristen will be an outstanding fit for our athletic department.”
Prior to her arrival at Whittier, Dowling served as an assistant under Head Coach Rich Murphy at the University of Redlands, her alma mater — this, after a four-year run as the head coach of Division I Pepperdine University women’s basketball. Under Dowling, the Waves produced two All-WCC selections, two WCC All-Freshman team picks, and one WCC All-Tournament team member. They also reached the semifinals of the 2020 WCC Tournament. Dowling’s time at Pepperdine was a homecoming of sorts, as she had worked as a graduate assistant and academic advisor during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons, then returned as an assistant coach for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 campaigns under then-head coach Julie Rousseau. Prior to Pepperdine, the Upland, Calif.-native worked as an assistant coach at CSU Bakersfield for two seasons. The Roadrunners went 35-23 those two years and made their first-ever Division I postseason appearance in the 2010 Women’s Basketball Invitational.
The 2015 SCIAC Coach of the Year holds a career winning percentage of .618, and in Division III alone holds a .762 winning percentage. Her CMS teams had six consecutive 20-win seasons, including five seasons with at least 23 wins. Dowling’s Athenas are also notable for the 2015 season in which she and her staff were minted Coaching Staff of the Year, as they are the last SCIAC team to run the table at a perfect 16-0 in conference play.
Restricted to SCIAC games, Dowling’s coaching record is a sterling 93-19 (.830). Excluding her first season, her Athenas teams dropped just eight SCIAC regular season games in six years. She will now look to build on her SCIAC and career success starting in 2024 with SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Year Rhe Nae Leach (Moreno Valley, Calif. / John W. North), along with Second-Team All-SCIAC running mate Lorita Salloom (Santa Clarita, Calif. / Saugus / College of the Canyons) set to return.
Dowling earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Redlands in 2004 while majoring in Spanish and minoring in Physical Education. She earned her Master’s degree from Pepperdine in educational technology in 2007.
Tagged with: D3 SCIAC
