Ashton Feldhaus, one of the nation’s top young head coaches, has been named the McNeese Cowgirls’ newest basketball head coach, Interim Director of Athletics Bridget Martin announced on Tuesday.
Feldhaus, a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 30 Under 30 Class, comes to McNeese after spending this past season as the head coach at Morehead State where she guided her team to 18 wins and a postseason appearance in the WNIT.
Feldhaus takes over a Cowgirl basketball program that’s on the rise following a record-setting season that saw McNeese post a 29-6 overall record, win a Southland Conference regular season championship, and advance to the second round of the WBIT.
“I’m incredibly excited to be part of a place that has so much momentum and so many great things already happening,” said Feldhaus. “Coming off such a successful season, it’s clear this program is built on a strong foundation, and I’m honored to help build on that success. I’m especially excited to be part of the community in Southwest Louisiana and to work alongside them as we continue striving to win championships and compete at the highest level.
“I want to give a special thank you to Miss Bridget (Martin) for the way she led this process. She moved swiftly but made sure I understood everything about McNeese and what makes it such a special place. Even with the fast turnaround, she made me feel at home from the very beginning, and I’m incredibly grateful for her leadership and belief in me.”
“We are excited to welcome Ashton to McNeese,” said Martin. “The success she has achieved in a short amount of time as head coach is a testament not only to her knowledge of the game, but to her ability to establish a winning culture and meaningful relationships that extend beyond the basketball court.”
Said McNeese Interim President Dr. Kedrick Nicholas: “I am excited to have Coach Feldhaus join our McNeese family. Her trajectory as a young, energetic, and aspirational coach is exactly what we need to continue to build upon our recent success in women’s basketball. She has grown her career while having scarce resources to do so. I believe what we bring to the table, including intentional institutional and community support, is just what she needs for us to benefit from her leadership and for her career to continue to ascend.”
In her young head coaching career, Feldhaus has won 72 percent of her games including 70 percent in conference play.
In her one season at Morehead State, the 18 wins ranked as the eighth-most in school history while posting four Top 100 NET wins, the most in school history. She coached one All-OVC first team player, two on the second team, and two on the All-Newcomer Team. Her team’s 13 conference wins tied for the most in league history by a first-year head coach while the postseason appearance marked just the third in school history.
Feldhaus’ basketball pedigree runs deep. Her father, Allen, was a standout player at Eastern Kentucky and is currently the head boys’ basketball coach at Madison Central High School in Richmond, Kentucky. Her uncle, Deron, was a notable player at the University of Kentucky, while her uncle Willie was a member of the Morehead State men’s basketball program from 1984-85 through 1986-87. Ashton’s mother Karen is the head cheerleading coach at Madison Central.
Prior to taking the reins at Missouri Western, Feldhaus served five seasons as the top assistant and associate head coach for Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla. Where she helped guide the Tritons to five straight Division II tournament appearances, most recently during a the 2023-24 season when Eckerd had a 20-12 campaign and won the Sunshine State Conference Tournament championship. The Tritons posted a 91-28 overall record during her five-year tenure.
She was instrumental in developing two all-conference selections in Octavia Loll (First-Team) and Zoe Richards (Second-Team). She also served as the team’s academic advisor as the Tritons ranked third nationally on the WBCA Academic Top 25 Honor Roll with a 3.78 GPA in the 2019-20 season.
In the 2021-22 season, as the program’s recruiting coordinator, she secured two all-conference selections in Lauryn Vieira – the SSC Defensive Player of the Year – and Sofia Persson who was Second-Team and All-Newcomer. She also was key in the development and coaching of the SSC Player of the Year, Maya Price.
During the 2022-23 season, she helped guide the program to monumental heights, including the sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament and the program’s first Sweet 16 appearance. Eckerd ended the season at No. 9 in the WBCA Poll and reached a season-best No. 5 in November. The team set five single-season program records, while five players set single-season records and three career program records. She also helped guide Persson to WBCA Honorable Mention All-American, D2CCA All-Region, and SSC First-Team honors. She also aided Vieira to back-to-back SSC Defensive Player of the Year accolades and Price to another First-Team All-SSC honor.
Feldhaus was successful as a player as well at Butler then UT Martin. Following her freshman year at Butler, Feldhaus transferred to UT Martin, missing two seasons due to the NCAA transfer rule and an injury. She then earned Second-Team All-OVC honors and OVC All-Newcomer honors and was a six-time conference Newcomer of the Week while averaging 11.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in her first full season. As a senior, she also earned Second-Team All-OVC.
A standout high school player in the Kentucky, she played for head coach Robert Cooksey at Madison Central High School where she helped her team win four straight district championships (2010-13) and two region titles (2011, 2013). She was selected as a Kentucky All-Star after her junior and senior year. Feldhaus was a three-time All-District selection and a two-time All-Region honoree and earned First-Team All-State honors as a senior.
Feldhaus earned her bachelor’s degree in communications and a master’s degree in family and consumer Science from UT Martin.
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