Lewis & Clark College Director of Physical Education and Athletics Mark Pietrok announced the hiring of Annie Bourne as the 14th head women’s basketball coach in program history this afternoon.
Bourne joins the River Otters after 11 seasons as an assistant coach at DePauw University, where she helped guide the Tigers to seven North Coast Athletic Conference Regular-Season Titles, seven NCAC Tournament Championships and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. She officially begins her duties on May 20.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Annie to Palatine Hill,” Pietrok said. “She brings a strong record of success as both a player and a coach at the Division III level. Over the past decade, she has worked with one of the premier programs in the country and offers a wealth of experience in developing student-athletes, fostering a winning culture, and cultivating strong leadership. Just as importantly, she understands and values the role athletics plays within an academic environment and is deeply committed to supporting student success in the classroom. We are thrilled that she has chosen Lewis & Clark to continue her coaching career and look forward to the impact she will have on our program’s growth.”
During Bourne’s tenure at DePauw, the Tigers compiled a 238-58 overall record and a 125-16 mark in NCAC play under head coach Kris Huffman, a two-time NCAA Division III National Champion. Bourne served as defensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator and post/forward coach, while also overseeing the program’s strength and conditioning efforts. She helped mentor 40 all-conference selections, including a Jostens Trophy finalist and winner, multiple D3hoops.com All-America honorees and a CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year.
“I would like to thank Athletic Director Mark Pietrok and President Holmes-Sullivan for believing in me and giving me this opportunity to lead the women’s basketball program,” Bourne said. “I would also like to thank Kris Huffman, whom I have been fortunate to work for and alongside for eleven seasons. It has been a blessing to work for one of the best coaches and people in the profession, and I have felt very fortunate for every season I had with her and the immense amount of knowledge I have gained from her. I would also like to thank Doug Miller for his guidance and support these past eleven seasons.”
Beyond her on-court work, Bourne has been active across the DePauw Athletic Department. She co-created the Embrace Your Stripes mental health campaign and the Women’s Athletic Community Are Fierce group. She also helped teach a leadership seminar for student-athletes and sororities on campus. In addition, she coordinated the women’s basketball program’s community service partnership with Team IMPACT and led team fundraising for the Kay You Cancer Fund, raising more than $4,400.
“I’m excited to join Lewis & Clark because of its strong academic excellence and the talented student-athletes who strive to be great in every area on and off the court,” Bourne added. “I felt welcomed by everyone when I stepped on campus and really liked the close-knit nature of the athletic department. I look forward to elevating the program and mentoring the student-athletes to help them become the best version of themselves.”
Bourne is a National Strength and Conditioning Association Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and designed the lifting and conditioning programs for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at DePauw. She was named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Thirty Under 30 list in 2020 and completed the NCAA Women’s Basketball Coaches Academy in 2023.
A 2015 graduate of Southwestern University, Bourne earned a Bachelor of Arts in Kinesiology, while playing four seasons of basketball for the Pirates. She left Southwestern as the program’s all-time leading rebounder and holds six Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference records, including career rebounds (1,178) and career rebound average (11.22). She was named SCAC Defensive Player of the Year, named a First Team All-SCAC selection on two occasions and earned Southwestern’s Dr. Carla Lowry Award as Female Athlete of the Year.
She earned a Master of Science in Sports Management from Indiana State University in 2017.
