The Wheeling Women’s Basketball team has promoted Ella Skeens to Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach.  

Skeens first joined the Cardinals in the summer of 2023 as a graduate assistant coach and was instrumental in helping Wheeling women’s basketball to a winning season and Mountain East Conference tournament quarterfinal appearance during the 2023-24 season.  

“I couldn’t be more excited to be stepping into the role of assistant coach,” said Skeens. This past year as a graduate assistant under Coach Kowalska’s mentorship has been pivotal in shaping my growth as a coach. I’m deeply grateful for the chance to continue contributing to the program’s success in this new role.” 

Skeens, a native of Chillicothe, Ohio, assisted the Cardinals in all aspects of the program last season, including recruiting, scouting, daily operations, and player development. Wheeling finished the 2023-24 season with a record of 18-11, marking the program’s best season since the 2016-17 MEC championship team.  

“I am so happy for Ella,” said Kowalska. “She deserves this. She is a very hard worker who brings great energy to our team every day. She has a bright future in coaching, and we’re excited that she’s able to move into this new role. It’s a great day for our team and program. We are thankful that this was able to come together.”  

Skeens entered the coaching ranks after a decorated playing career that included stops at the University of Dayton, Ball State University, and Rio Grande University. In her final two seasons at Rio Grande, she led the Red Storm to back-to-back conference championships and national tournament appearances. In each of those seasons, she was named conference Player of the Year. She was also named an NAIA All-American. Skeens holds a degree in Social Science from Rio Grande and is pursuing her MBA from Wheeling.