Penn State women’s basketball head coach Carolyn Kieger has been awarded an extension, which was approved by the Board of Trustees this morning.
The Lady Lions have increased their win totals in each of Kieger’s first three seasons in Happy Valley.
“I am excited for the future of our program,” said Kieger. “I am encouraged by the foundation we have built over the past three years and believe we have the pieces in place to propel this program back to prominence. I love our players, staff, and the Penn State Community and I am beyond motivated to lead our program into the future. Preparing our student-athletes for a lifetime of impact while building a legacy of success with honor remains the goal. I continue to be grateful to be part of this amazing University and I’m thankful to be surrounded by genuine people. The work continues. We Are!”
From 2020-21 to 2021-22, Penn State improved in field goal percentage (41.4 to 43.0), free throw percentage (68.5 to 74.9), field goal percentage defense (44.7 to 43.3), blocks per game (2.6 to 4.4) and steals per game (7.7 to 9.6). The Lady Lions led the Big Ten with 269 steals.
In three seasons, Kieger has coached five All-Big Ten selections, including two first-team honorees, a Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year and two Big Ten All-Freshman members. The Lady Lions have also excelled in the classroom under Kieger with 16 Academic All-Big Ten selections, three Big Ten Distinguished Scholars and Makenna Marisa being named CoSIDA Academic All-America third team.
In 2021-22, Kieger guided Marisa to a consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection. The Dawn Staley Award watch list nominee scored 645 points, the sixth most in a season at Penn State. She ranked eighth in the nation averaging 22.2 points per game while sitting ninth in total points, 18th in field goals made (224) and 22nd in free throws made (138). Marisa had 18 games with 20+ points and five 30-point games while becoming the 40th Lady Lion to reach the 1,000-career point mark.
Kieger also helped Leilani Kapinus to be named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team. Among Big Ten rookies, Kapinus ranked third in points per game (9.6), second in rebounds per game (5.7), first in steals (59) and second in blocks (33). Among national freshmen, Kapinus was one of two in Division I with 55+ steals and 30+ blocks.
In eight years as a head coach, Kieger has led her teams to 126 wins, three NCAA Tournament appearances, a conference regular-season title and a conference tournament title. Her 100th career win came in her first win leading the Lady Lions, a 73-67 victory at Towson on November 5, 2019.
Kieger was a 2019 Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year Award semifinalist. As a head coach, Kieger has guided 14 all-conference selections and two conference players of the year.
