Jenny Thigpin has been appointed Dixie State’s permanent head women’s basketball coach after serving as the interim head coach since the start of the 2014-15 season.

Thigpin took over following the departure of Catherria Turner on Nov. 8, two weeks before the regular season opener.

"We are grateful to Coach Thigpin for stepping up the way she did under difficult circumstances and impressed with how she has moved the team forward," athletic director Jason Boothe said. "She’s very deserving of this opportunity and we look forward to helping her build a successful team for years to come."

Thigpin has been at Dixie State since 2013 and spent two seasons prior to joining the Red Storm staff at Pacific West Conference member Fresno Pacific after four years coaching at Buchanan High School in Clovis, Calif.

"It’s great news but we have a lot of work left to do this season and in the future," Thigpin said. "I am excited and thankful for this opportunity and thrilled to be at Dixie State. I’m grateful to the girls on the team, the staff and administration and this community."

As the head coach at Buchanan in 2009-10, she led the team to a 22-7 record (the most wins in school history), reaching the final four of the Central Section playoffs. In addition to three years of head coaching experience at Buchanan, Thigpin was the head coach and program director for the Hanford Heat AAU team for eight years.

A 2007 graduate of Fresno State, Thigpin played one season with the Bulldogs after spending three seasons playing at Arizona State. She appeared in every game for the Sun Devils in her sophomore and junior seasons, as well as all 30 games for Fresno State as a senior.

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