Longtime Ithaca College women’s basketball head coach Dan Raymond has announced that he will retire at the end of this academic year after spending the past 26 seasons with the program. A national search will commence to find the next head coach.
“I have been truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to work and coach at Ithaca College,” said Raymond. “The support from everyone here makes Ithaca College a very special place and it’s been an honor to be a member of the Bomber family.”
Raymond, the winningest coach in IC women’s basketball history, guided the Bombers to an overall record of 522-182 (.741 winning percentage) since his arrival on South Hill in 2000. Raymond turned the women’s basketball program into a perennial power, accumulating 18 seasons of 20-plus wins and 17 trips to the NCAA Division III Championship. In 2013-14 and 2018-19, Ithaca advanced to the Round of Eight. The Bombers also won 12 conference titles (nine in the Empire 8 and three in the Liberty League) and played in 19 championship contests.
“Dan’s impact on Ithaca College and our women’s basketball program is truly extraordinary,” said Director of Athletics Aaron Bouyea. “His sustained success, commitment to student-athletes, and leadership over more than two decades have helped define the standard of excellence for our department.”
Raymond was named conference coach of the year eight times and was the D3hoops.com Regional Coach of the Year three straight seasons from 2012-14. He also coached the program’s only seven All-Americans in program history. Stephanie Cleary was a second-team selection in 2005. Katherine Bixby, Jenn Escobido, Kathryn Campbell, Mary Kate Tierney, Cassidy O’Malley and Emily Dorn all received honorable mention. Bixby did so in 2010, Escobido in 2012, Campbell in 2013, Tierney in 2014, O’Malley in 2020 and Dorn in 2023.
He came to Ithaca from Le Moyne, where he spent a year as assistant women’s basketball coach, and three coaching at Cortland. After two years as an assistant coach, Raymond served as head coach for the 1997-98 season at Cortland. He also served as an assistant coach with the Ithaca men’s basketball program in 1999-00.
Raymond led the Red Dragons to a record of 16-11 and a spot in the ECAC playoffs, to bring his overall head coaching record to 538-193.
His 538 overall victories ranks 17th in Division III history among active coaches, while his .736 winning percentage is within the top 25. Raymond is also just one of 15 coaches to amass more than 18, 20-win seasons since 1982.
Off the court, Raymond also served as an assistant coach for the IC softball program since 2010. Ithaca made nine trips to the NCAA Division III Championship, including trips to the World Series in 2010 and 2018. The Bombers won more than 430 games and eclipsed 30 or more victories in seven different seasons.
A 1997 graduate of Cortland, Raymond received his master’s degree from Le Moyne. He has also been a member of Ithaca’s softball staff, helping the Bombers to the NCAA World Series in 2008 and 2010.
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