William Penn University Athletics Director Greg Hafner has announced the hiring of Steve Williamson as the school’s new Head Women’s Basketball Coach.
Williamson will be making a short trek from the southeast as he comes to WPU from former league rival Iowa Wesleyan University where he guided the women’s basketball program for the past 12 seasons.
“We are extremely pleased to have Coach Williamson on our staff,” Hafner said. “He brings a great deal of successful experience to our women’s basketball program.”
No stranger to change, Williamson was in the middle of his tenure at Iowa Wesleyan when the athletics department moved from NAIA to NCAA Division III.
Williamson is taking over a Statesmen program that is coming off a historical campaign in which it snapped a 29-year postseason drought by qualifying for the NAIA Division I National Championships. WPU finished the 2016-2017 campaign at 18-14, including a 16-10 mark in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
At IWU, Williamson turned a struggling program into a perennial contender. He owned a 246-147 record, highlighted by six conference titles, five trips to the NAIA National Tournament (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011), and three appearances at the USCAA National Tournament (2014, 2015, 2016). He was named USCAA National Coach of the Year in 2016 after leading the Tigers to a national runner-up finish. Williamson was tabbed as conference Coach of the Year in 2006, 2009, and 2010 as well.
“I am extremely happy and excited to join the William Penn family,” Williamson said. “I want to thank Greg Hafner and the administration for giving me this opportunity. I am looking forward to building on the successful season the team had last year!”
Williamson departs Iowa Wesleyan with the best winning percentage in program history, including a record 27 wins in 2009-2010. His 2006-2007 squad reached the national quarterfinals, while the year prior, IWU reached the second round of the tournament.
On the floor, 28 Tigers garnered first-team all-conference awards and 15 collected All-America status (five first-teamers). Williamson also coached four conference Players of the Year.
Williamson’s teams also excelled in the classroom as they averaged a team Grade Point Average of 3.43. He led 42 student-athletes to NAIA Scholar-Athlete or USCAA National All-Academic team laurels.
Williamson broke into the coaching world as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Iowa Wesleyan, serving on the staff from 2000-2004. He helped the Tigers to a conference crown and an NAIA Nationals appearance in 2003-2004. He was also named AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2002-2003.
The season before becoming a varsity assistant coach, Williamson was IWU’s head JV coach.
Williamson is a graduate of Iowa Wesleyan in 2000 with a degree in Sport Management. He earned two letters as a member of the basketball team. Prior to coming to IWU, he earned his Associate’s degree from Iowa Lakes Community College where he was also a two-time letterwinner.
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