Edna Campbell

Kamie Ethridge as a Longhorn

Women’s Basketball 3/6/2018 11:18:00 AM By Ryan Pfeifer, UNCBears.com

@UNCBearsWBB Head Coach Kamie Ethridge Named Big Sky Coach of the Year

RENO, Nev. – Kamie Ethridge, the women’s basketball coach at Northern Colorado, has been awarded her first Big Sky Coach of the Year honor, as announced by the conference on Tuesday afternoon. Under her leadership, the Bears achieved a remarkable 23-6 record, securing the program’s first outright Big Sky regular season championship with a 15-3 conference record.

In her fourth year with UNC, Ethridge guided the team to a program-best 23 wins and celebrated several significant milestones. The season kicked off with a historic victory over a Top 25 ranked team, as Northern Colorado defeated No. 20/25 DePaul 94-88. The Bears also won their first game against an SEC opponent, beating LSU 58-50 in their home opener. Their impressive journey culminated in the Big Sky regular season title, which they secured on February 28 with a home victory over Portland State.

In addition to the team’s success this season, Ethridge helped Savannah Scott, Savannah Smith, and Kianna Williams earn All-Big Sky honors. Smith received the Most Valuable Player award along with her second consecutive first-team designation. Williams was honored as the Defensive Player of the Year, while Scott made the second team for the second year in a row.

During her four years as head coach at UNC, Ethridge has an overall record of 80-43, with 52-22 in Big Sky games. She led the program to its deepest postseason run, advancing to the third round of the WNIT. In three of her four seasons, Northern Colorado has won at least 22 games.

Ethridge and her team will play their first game in the Big Sky Conference Tournament tomorrow at 1:05 PM MT against Montana in Reno, Nevada.

To stay updated on all things related to UNC women’s basketball, visit UNCBears.com and follow the team on Twitter at @UNCBearsWBB.