Story: AJ Nelson, Senior Staff Writer, WHoopDirt.com
BOSTON, MA – The following women’s college basketball coaches have been honored with the Week 5 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 5 winners are:
NCAA D1: Krista Gerlich – Texas Tech University
Two more wins this past week have Coach Gerlich’s Texas Tech squad ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since January of 2012. The Lady Raiders defeated Jacksonville 76-40 to open the week, holding the visitors to just 27.1% from the field in the victory. After the win, Texas Tech headed to Waco to open conference play with a Sunday afternoon showdown against the then-15th ranked Baylor Bears, who had won the previous 31 meetings between the two teams dating back to 2011. The Lady Raiders drilled a pair of free throws with three seconds remaining to claim a thrilling 61-60 victory and keep their perfect season intact. The win marked Texas Tech’s first at Baylor since the 2003-04 campaign. Now 14-0 (1-0 Big 12) on the season and ranked No. 21 in the latest AP Top-25 Poll, the Lady Raiders will look to keep it rolling when they host UCF on December 31.
NCAA D2: Heather Macy – Nova Southeastern University
Coach Macy’s Sharks picked up another pair of wins this week, moving to 12-0 on the campaign and extending their best-ever start to a season. Hosting their Holiday Invitational this week, No. 6 Nova Southeastern forced 25 turnovers in an 87-55 victory over Elizabeth City State on Friday. Back in action 24 hours later, the Sharks closed out the Invitational with another win, scoring 36 points in the second quarter of a 96-56 triumph over Lincoln (PA). Nova Southeastern has dominated its competition throughout the first half of the season, with 10 of its 12 wins coming by double-digits. The Sharks will return to conference play when they visit Eckerd on December 31.
NCAA D3: Gabby Holko – Susquehanna University
Coach Holko’s squad went 3-0 this past week to improve to 10-1 on the season – their best start since the 1982-83 campaign. Susquehanna, which received votes in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, began its week with a 67-51 victory over Eastern on Tuesday. Following the win, the River Hawks made the trip down to Bayamon for the Puerto Rico Clasico on Thursday and Friday. In their opening contest in PR, Susquehanna held Union to just one made three-pointer in a 63-44 victory. Returning to the floor the following day, the River Hawks utilized a last-second layup to fend off a late comeback attempt by previously undefeated RV Montclair State and come away with a 63-61 triumph. The win moved Susquehanna to 10-1 on the season, with each of their other nine victories coming by double-digits. The River Hawks will now have a break before returning to conference play with a road matchup against Lycoming on Wednesday, January 7.
NAIA: Suntana Anderson – Marian University (IN)
Marian University, led by Coach Anderson, continued to roll through its competition this week, picking up two more double-digit victories to remain undefeated on the season. The fifth-ranked Knights began their week with a Top 25 showdown, taking on No. 17 Rocky Mount at the Cactus Classic in Glendale, Arizona on Friday. Marian trailed 7-5 after the first quarter, but outscored their opponent 66-39 across the final 30 minutes to come away with a 71-46 victory. The win was Marian’s third 25+ point victory over a Top 25 team already this season. The Knights then took on Arizona Christian the following day, jumping out to a 38-14 halftime lead en route to a 72-56 triumph. Now 13-0 (4-0 Crossroads) on the season, Marian will next face off against Ohio Christian at home on December 30.
JUCO: Mitch Rolls – Chipola College
Coach Rolls’ squad showed why they are the No. 2 team in the nation this past week, winning a pair of games to keep their perfect season intact. The Indians opened the week with an NJCAA DI Top 10 showdown, hosting No. 10 College of Southern Idaho on Wednesday. Chipola pulled down 19 offensive rebounds on the way to a 63-56 victory. Wrapping up their week with a home matchup against Enterprise State on Friday, the Indians grabbed a whopping 32 offensive rebounds, outrebounded the visitors 68-12, and outscored them 52-5 in the second half en route to a 93-35 win. Now 13-0 on the year, Chipola will next play a trio of games in the South Georgia Tech Holiday Classic beginning on December 29.
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
