Story: AJ Nelson, Senior Staff Writer, WHoopDirt.com
BOSTON, MA – The following women’s college basketball coaches have been honored with the Week 13 WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week Award, presented by Just Play Solutions. These coaches are now eligible for the WHoopDirt.com National Coach of the Year Award, presented by Just Play Solutions, which will be announced at the conclusion of the 2025-26 college basketball season.
This marks the sixth season of WHoopDirt.com’s Coach of the Week and Coach of the Year programs. This week’s winners are listed below, followed by all previous weekly honorees from earlier in the season.
To nominate coaches for future weeks, please email [email protected] with your selection(s).
The Week 13 winners are:
NCAA D1: Brenda Frese – University of Maryland
Two big wins this past week, including a comeback victory over a top-10 opponent, have propelled Coach Frese’s squad back into the Top 15. Then-No. 20 Maryland opened the week at home against Penn State on Thursday, picking up an 81-62 triumph to secure Coach Frese’s 21st 20-win season in her 24 years leading the Terrapins. Following the win, Maryland hit the road for a showdown with then-No. 8 Ohio State on Sunday afternoon. The Terps trailed by as many as 19 in the second quarter, but used a 35-11 run across 13 minutes in the second half to get back into the game and eventually claim a 76-75 victory. The 19-point comeback tied the largest in program history. Now 21-6 (9-6 Big 10) on the season and ranked No. 14 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, the Terps will look to extend their winning streak to five when they host Purdue on Sunday.
NCAA D2: Carrie Lohr – Wayne State University
Fresh off a win over the top-ranked team in the nation, Coach Lohr’s Warriors picked up right where they left off, taking down another ranked opponent as part of a 2-0 week. Following Feb. 7th’s 78-77 win over No. 1 Grand Valley State, Wayne State hosted No. 12 Northern Michigan on Thursday. The Warriors jumped out to a 48-30 halftime lead and never looked back, picking up an 84-63 victory that marked the first time in program history that they defeated ranked foes in back-to-back contests. Back in action on Saturday, Wayne State was able to defeat Michigan Tech by a score of 68-67 to remain unbeaten at home (10-0) on the season. With the wins, the Warriors improved to 18-6 (13-3 GLIAC) with just four games remaining in the regular season. Wayne State will look for its fifth straight win when it visits Roosevelt on Thursday evening.
NCAA D3: Rodney Rogan – Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins’ perfect season continued on this past week, as Coach Rogan’s squad put on a pair of stifling defensive performances to improve to 22-0 (13-0 Centennial) on the year. The third-ranked Blue Jays held McDaniel to just 23.3% from the field in a 50-43 win on Wednesday before hosting Franklin and Marshall on Saturday. Johns Hopkins jumped out to a 46-21 lead at halftime, eventually leading by as many as 41 in an 80-47 triumph. The win was the Blue Jays’ 22nd in a row (with 18 coming by double-digits), extending the program’s Centennial Conference record. One of just four remaining unbeaten teams in DIII, Johns Hopkins will close out the regular season with matchups against Mary Washington and Dickinson on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively.
NAIA: Jacob Roark – Faulkner University
After Faulkner went over two years without a victory against a ranked opponent, Coach Roark guided the Lady Eagles to two such wins this past week. On Thursday, Faulkner used a 16-0 run across parts of the second and third quarters to create some separation from No. 18 William Carey and eventually take a 90-82 victory, marking their first win over the visitors since December of 2023. Back in action less than 48 hours later, the Lady Eagles led No. 19 Loyola by two at the half before a 16-4 third quarter opened the game up in favor of the hosts. The 72-54 triumph improved Faulkner to 18-7 (12-4 SSAC) on the campaign. The Lady Eagles will next host Dillard in their penultimate regular season contest on Tuesday evening.
JUCO: Jonathan Denney – Southwestern Illinois College
Two more blowout victories this past week have Coach Denney’s Blue Storm another step closer to a perfect regular season. No. 16 Southwestern Illinois defeated Olney Central 100-63 on Tuesday before taking down John A. Logan by a score of 83-48 on Saturday. With the wins, the Blue Storm moved to 25-0 (9-0 GRAC) on the season. They are the only remaining unbeaten team in NJCAA DI, and 22 of their 25 wins have come by double digits. SWIC has four games remaining in the regular season, with all of them coming against teams that they have already defeated this season. The nation’s second highest scoring offense will return to action on Wednesday, when the Blue Storm visit Rend Lake College.
2025-26 WHoopDirt.com / Just Play Solutions Coach of the Week Winners
NCAA DI: Geno Auriemma – University of Connecticut
NCAA DII: Tim Kirby – Harding University
NCAA DIII: Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft – Shenandoah University
NAIA: Bill Harmsen – Dordt University
JUCO: Jaleel Taylor – Union College (NJ)
NCAA DI: Vic Schaefer – University of Texas
NCAA DII: Johnette Walker – Newberry College
NCAA DIII: Meg Barber – New York University
NAIA: DeWayne Burroughs – Shawnee State University
JUCO: Nicole Collier – State Fair Community College
NCAA DI: Molly Miller – Arizona State University
NCAA DII: Tasha Diesselhorst – Northwestern Oklahoma State University
NCAA DIII: Megan Phelps – Bowdoin College
NAIA: DeWitt Mandley – Wiley University
JUCO: Damel Ling – Monroe University – Bronx
NCAA DI: Linda Cimino – Dartmouth College
NCAA DII: Travis Ponton – Queens College
NCAA DIII: Julie Prichett – Brandeis University
NAIA: David Moe – Dakota State University
JUCO: Madonna Thompson – Shelton State Community College
NCAA DI: Krista Gerlich – Texas Tech University
NCAA DII: Heather Macy – Nova Southeastern University
NCAA DIII: Gabby Holko – Susquehanna University
NAIA: Suntana Anderson – Marian University (IN)
JUCO: Mitch Rolls – Chipola College
Week 6
Winter Break – No Winners Selected
Week 7
Winter Break – No Winners Selected
NCAA DI: Greg Todd – Eastern Kentucky University
NCAA DII: Emry Tsitouris – Lenoir-Rhyne University
NCAA DIII: Alison Montgomery – Bates College
NAIA: Abby Stutts – Freed-Hardeman University
JUCO: Chelsea Waters – Tallahassee State College
NCAA DI: Destinee Rogers – Arkansas State University
NCAA DII: Emilee Thiesse – Minnesota State University, Mankato
NCAA DIII: Maureen Hirt – Denison University
NAIA: Jessica Garriga – William Carey University
JUCO: Chelsey Warburton – Utah State University Eastern
NCAA DI: Jan Jensen – University of Iowa
NCAA DII: Danielle Fleming – PennWest Clarion
NCAA DIII: Ben O’Brien – University of Scranton
NAIA: Jamarra Robinson – Stillman College
JUCO: Marvin Evans – Harford Community College
NCAA DI: Cori Close – University of California, Los Angeles
NCAA DII: Paul Honsinger – Eckerd College
NCAA DIII: David Chadbourne – University of Southern Maine
NAIA: Ethan Whaley – Indiana Wesleyan University
JUCO: Doug Haynes – Community College of Rhode Island
NCAA DI: Dawn Thornton – Alabama A&M University
NCAA DII: Taylor Wagner – Colorado Mesa University
NCAA DIII: Kelly McNiff – University of Wisconsin – Platteville
NAIA: Matt Moore – Columbia College (MO)
JUCO: Bart Walker – Northwest Florida State College
