Minnesota officially introduced new head women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit to the public Monday.
"I'm extremely humbled and honored to be here today. This is an incredible opportunity to build something special together," said new Minnesota head coach Dawn Plitzuweit.
The West Bend, Wisconsin native arrives in Minneapolis after one season at West Virginia, leading the Mountaineers to 19 wins and an NCAA Tournament appearance this season, becoming the first coach in program history to lead the program to the NCAA Tournament in their initial season as head coach.
"We felt like it was important to find a coach that's won at a high level. Obviously, we saw what she did at South Dakota when she took them to the Sweet 16. I can tell you I watched a lot of West Virginia basketball the last three weeks and what she did with that program and the work she did to get that program to the NCAA Tournament in year one, I think those things are going to be very positive for our program as we move forward," said Minnesota Director of Athletics Mark Coyle.
Before her time in Morgantown, Plitzuweit spent 2016-2022 as South Dakota's head coach. She compiled a 158-36 record during her six seasons in Vermillion, leading the program to three conference titles, and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 2022 Sweet 16.
"We felt like we could go out and get a head coach that's done it at many different levels, and the fact that she has such strong connections back here is such a huge positive for our program as we move forward," said Coyle.
During that 2022 season with South Dakota, Plitzuweit had five Minnesotans on the roster, including former Rogers standout and second-leading scorer Hannah Sjerven. The connections and familiarity with recruiting the state of Minnesota are something Plitzuweit is very comfortable with and excited to continue doing in the future.
"Our program is very fortunate to have a tremendous recruiting base right here in our state and in our region. Personally, I've been blessed to recruit and to coach here in this area in my many years as a college coach, and I'm really excited to connect, or re-connect with a lot of the coaches and players in this area," said Plitzuweit.
Before her time at South Dakota, Plitzuweit was the head coach at Northern Kentucky, going 71-54 in four seasons, guiding the program to four consecutive Women's Basketball Invitationals.
She started her head coaching journey in 2002 at Grand Valley State (Division II), leading the program to the 2006 National Championship, the first in program history.
"It's home for me. I've had an opportunity to coach in the Big Ten before, never as a head coach, but this is a dream opportunity, and one that I'm really excited about," said Plitzuweit.
She arrives in Dinkytown to take over for former coach and Gopher icon Lindsay Whalen, who stepped down as head coach after five seasons, finishing 71-76 during her time as head coach.
"Thank you to Coach Whalen and her staff for what they've done for Gophers women's basketball. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Lindsay as a player, as a coach, and most importantly as a person. Lindsay is one of our own, and I look forward to honoring her, and all of our alumni and coaches who have come before us, and have laid the foundation for which we want to build," said Plitzuweit.
Plitzuweit takes over a program with a lot of young talent, led by sophomores-to-be Mara Braun, Mallory Heyer, and Amaya Battle.
"They're incredible young ladies. I think what's special about them is that they've chosen to come to the U to represent themselves, their families, our program, our athletic department, and the entire state of Minnesota in a lot of ways. You can feel lit when you're around them, and that makes this really, really special," said Plitzuweit.
"She's got energy, and you can see that. She radiates energy, and that's really special for us," said Braun.
"We are extremely excited, I think it's a great hire. She's a winner, and that's super important. She's very knowledgeable and has great energy already, so I'm very excited," said Heyer.
Her six-year deal is pending approval from the board of regents and a background check, the school said.
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