# South Dakota Coyotes women's basketball

The South Dakota Coyotes women's basketball team represents the University of South Dakota in NCAA Division I basketball. They are currently members of the Summit League.

## History

As of the end of the 2022–23 season the Coyotes have a 890–559 all-time record, with play beginning in 1971. They won the North Central Conference regular season title in 1983, 1984, 1985, 2003, and finishing their time in NCC with a regular season and conference tournament win in 2008. South Dakota then made the transition from Division II to Division I with stops with the NCAA I Independents and the Great West Conference before settling in the Summit League. The Coyotes in the Summit League have won the regular season five times (2015, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022) then also have won the Summit League tournament four times (2014, 2020, 2021, 2022). South Dakota made the NCAA tournament 10 times since joining the Division I. The NCAA four times (2014, 2019, 2019, 2022), the WNIT five times (2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018) and the WBI twice (2011 and 2013).

## Head coaches

| # | Name | Term | Record (W–L) |
| 1 | Irene Mehnert | 1971–73 | 16–6 (.727) |
| 2 | Jean Jacobsen | 1973–76 | 22–28 (.440) |
| 3 | Mary Zimmerman | 1976–82 | 85–64 (.570) |
| 4 | Chad Lavin | 1982–86, 1998–08 | 273–139 (.663) |
| 5 | Fred Tibbetts | 1986–90, 1998 | 67–53 (.558) |
| 6 | Gary Larson | 1990–95 | 67–69 (.493) |
| 7 | Lynn Griffin | 1995–98 | 16–58 (.216) |
| 8 | Ryun Williams | 2008–12 | 76–47 (.618) |
| 9 | Amy Williams | 2012–16 | 96–44 (.686) |
| 10 | Dawn Plitzuweit | 2016–22 | 158–36 (.814) |
| 11 | Kayla Karius | 2022–24 | 37–29 (.561) |
| 12 | Carrie Eighmey | 2024–present | 0–0 (–) |

## Postseason results
### NCAA Division I tournament results

The Coyotes have appeared in four NCAA Tournaments. Their record is 2–4.
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2014 | #15 | First round | #2 Stanford | L 62–81 |
| 2019 | #8 | First round | #9 Clemson | L 66–79 |
| 2021 | #11 | First round | #6 Oregon | L 47–67 |
| 2022 | #10 | First round Second Round Sweet Sixteen | #7 Ole Miss #2 Baylor #3 Michigan | W 75–61 W 61–47 L 49–52 |

### WNIT appearances

The Coyotes have appeared in five WNIT Tournaments. Their record is 12–4.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2012 | First round Second Sround | Drake Colorado | W 61–53 L 55–64 |
| 2015 | First round Second Round | Creighton Northern Colorado | W 68–58 L 58–59 |
| 2016 | First round Second Round Third round Quarterfinals Semifinals Championship Game | Creighton Minnesota Northern Iowa Western Kentucky Oregon Florida Gulf Coast | W 74–68 W 101–89 W 51–50 W 68–54 W 88–54 W 71–65 |
| 2017 | First round Second Round | North Dakota Iowa | W 78–55 L 73–78 |
| 2018 | First round Second Round Third round Quarterfinals | Houston Colorado State Michigan State TCU | W 65–58 W 74–49 W 85–83 (OT) L 71–79 |

### WBI appearances

The Coyotes have appeared in 2 WBI Tournaments. Their record is 3–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 2011 | First round Quarterfinals | Idaho Cal State Bakersfield | W 62-47 L 64-90 |
| 2013 | First round Quarterfinals Semifinals | Utah State Lamar McNeese State | W 77-69 W 71-48 L 63-71 |

### NCAA Division II tournament results

The Coyotes made eight appearances in the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament. They had a combined record of 8–8.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result |
| 1983 | First round | Texas A&I | L, 71–81 |
| 1984 | First round Regional Finals | North Dakota St. Cloud State | W 49–48 L 55–66 |
| 1985 | Regional Finals | St. Cloud State | L 55–56 |
| 1989 | First round | North Dakota State | L 71–72 (OT) |
| 2003 | First round Regional semifinals Regional Finals | Concordia-St. Paul North Dakota State South Dakota State | W 83–68 W 84–61 L 63–87 |
| 2004 | First round | North Dakota State | L 63–70 |
| 2007 | First round | Concordia-St. Paul | L 74–82 |
| 2008 | First round Regional semifinals Regional Finals Elite Eight Final Four National Championship | CSU Pueblo Nebraska–Kearney Minnesota State Washburn Delta State Northern Kentucky | W 66–55 W 59–48 W 61–49 W 85–80 (2OT) W 68–58 L 58–63 |

## Season–by–season results

Statistics overview :
| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason |
| Irene Mehnert (No Conference) (1971–1973) ||||||
| 1971–72 | Irene Mehnert | 4–2 | — | — | |
| 1972–73 | Irene Mehnert | 12–4 | — | — | |
| Irene Mehnert: | Irene Mehnert: | 16–6 (.727) | – | | |
| Jean Jacobsen (No Conference) (1973–1976) ||||||
| 1973–74 | Jean Jacobsen | 8–8 | — | — | |
| 1974–75 | Jean Jacobsen | 9–7 | — | — | |
| 1975–76 | Jean Jacobsen | 5–13 | — | — | |
| Jean Jacobsen: | Jean Jacobsen: | 22–28 (.440) | – | | |
| Mary Zimmerman (No Conference) (1976–1982) ||||||
| 1976–77 | Mary Zimmerman | 7–11 | — | — | |
| 1977–78 | Mary Zimmerman | 17–11 | — | — | |
| 1978–79 | Mary Zimmerman | 17–7 | — | — | |
| 1979–80 | Mary Zimmerman | 14–15 | — | — | |
| 1980–81 | Mary Zimmerman | 16–10 | — | — | |
| 1981–82 | Mary Zimmerman | 14–10 | — | — | |
| Mary Zimmerman: | Mary Zimmerman: | 85–64 (.570) | – | | |
| Chad Lavin (North Central Conference) (1982–1986) ||||||
| 1982–83 | Chad Lavin | 19–9 | 7—3 | 1st | NCAA Division II First Round |
| 1983–84 | Chad Lavin | 22–7 | 10—2 | 1st | NCAA Division II Regional Finals |
| 1984–85 | Chad Lavin | 23–6 | 11—3 | 1st | NCAA Division II First Round |
| 1985–86 | Chad Lavin | 18–10 | 9—5 | 3rd | |
| Chad Lavin (1st stint): | Chad Lavin (1st stint): | 82–32 (.719) | 37–13 (.740) | | |
| Fred Tibbetts (North Central Conference) (1986–1990) ||||||
| 1986–87 | Fred Tibbetts | 14–14 | 4—10 | 4th | |
| 1987–88 | Fred Tibbetts | 13–15 | 3—11 | 8th | |
| 1988–89 | Fred Tibbetts | 22–7 | 10—4 | 3rd | NCAA Division II First Round |
| 1989–90 | Fred Tibbetts | 17–11 | 8—10 | 6th | |
| Fred Tibbetts (1st stint): | Fred Tibbetts (1st stint): | 66–47 (.584) | 25–35 (.417) | | |
| Gary Larson (North Central Conference) (1990–1995) ||||||
| 1990–91 | Gary Larson | 19–9 | 11—7 | 4th | |
| 1991–92 | Gary Larson | 13–14 | 6—12 | 8th | |
| 1992–93 | Gary Larson | 16–11 | 9—9 | 6th | |
| 1993–94 | Gary Larson | 12–15 | 6—12 | T—7th | |
| 1994–95 | Gary Larson | 7–20 | 6—12 | 7th | |
| Gary Larson: | Gary Larson: | 67–69 (.493) | 38–52 (.422) | | |
| Lynn Griffin (North Central Conference) (1995–1998) ||||||
| 1995–96 | Lynn Griffin | 6–21 | 1—17 | 10th | |
| 1996–97 | Lynn Griffin | 6–21 | 2—16 | 10th | |
| 1997–98 | Lynn Griffin | 4–16 | 0—11 | – | |
| 1998 | Fred Tibbetts | 1–6 | 1—6 | 10th | |
| Lynn Griffin: | Lynn Griffin: | 16–58 (.216) | 3–42 (.067) | | |
| Fred Tibbets(overall): | Fred Tibbets(overall): | 67–53 (.558) | 26–41 (.388) | | |
| Chad Lavin (North Central Conference) (1998–2008) ||||||
| 1998–99 | Chad Lavin | 7–20 | 3—15 | 10th | |
| 1999–00 | Chad Lavin | 11–16 | 4—14 | 9th | |
| 2000–01 | Chad Lavin | 15–12 | 9—9 | T—5th | |
| 2001–02 | Chad Lavin | 19–9 | 12—6 | T—2nd | |
| 2002–03 | Chad Lavin | 27–5 | 14—2 | T—1st | NCAA Division II Regional Finals |
| 2003–04 | Chad Lavin | 25–8 | 9—5 | 4th | NCAA Division II First Round |
| 2004–05 | Chad Lavin | 17–13 | 3—9 | 7th | |
| 2005–06 | Chad Lavin | 15–13 | 3—9 | 6th | |
| 2006–07 | Chad Lavin | 22–9 | 6—6 | 3rd | NCAA Division II First Round |
| 2007–08 | Chad Lavin | 33–2 | 12—0 | 1st | NCAA Division II Runner-up |
| Chad Lavin (overall): | Chad Lavin (overall): | 273–139 (.663) | 112–88 (.560) | | |
| Ryun Williams (NCAA Division I Independent) (2008–2009) ||||||
| 2008–09 | Ryun Williams | 18–11 | | | |
| Ryun Williams (Great West Conference) (2009–2011) ||||||
| 2009–10 | Ryun Williams | 15–16 | 6—6 | 4th | |
| 2010–11 | Ryun Williams | 20–12 | 10—2 | 2nd | WBI Second Round |
| Ryun Williams (Summit League) (2011–2012) ||||||
| 2011–12 | Ryun Williams | 23–8 | 12—6 | 3rd | WNIT Second Round |
| Ryun Williams: | Ryun Williams: | 76–47 (.618) | 28–14 (.667) | | |
| Amy Williams (Summit League) (2012–2016) ||||||
| 2012–13 | Amy Williams | 19–16 | 10—6 | 3rd | WBI Semifinals |
| 2013–14 | Amy Williams | 19–14 | 7—7 | 4th | NCAA first round |
| 2014–15 | Amy Williams | 26–8 | 13—3 | 1st | WNIT Second Round |
| 2015–16 | Amy Williams | 32–6 | 15—1 | 1st | WNIT Champions |
| Amy Williams: | Amy Williams: | 96–44 (.686) | 45–17 (.726) | | |
| Dawn Plitzuweit (Summit League) (2016–2022) ||||||
| 2016–17 | Dawn Plitzuweit | 23–9 | 11—5 | 4th | WNIT Second Round |
| 2017–18 | Dawn Plitzuweit | 29–7 | 14—0 | 1st | WNIT Quarterfinals |
| 2018–19 | Dawn Plitzuweit | 28–6 | 14—2 | 2nd | NCAA First Round |
| 2019–20 | Dawn Plitzuweit | 30–2 | 16—0 | 1st | NCAA Tournament not held |
| 2020–21 | Dawn Plitzuweit | 19–6 | 12—2 | 2nd | NCAA First Round |
| 2021–22 | Dawn Plitzuweit | 29–6 | 17—1 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen |
| Dawn Plitzuweit: | Dawn Plitzuweit: | 158–36 (.814) | 84–10 (.894) | | |
| Kayla Karius (Summit League) (2022–2024) ||||||
| 2022–23 | Kayla Karius | 14–16 | 10–8 | 4th | |
| 2023–24 | Kayla Karius | 23–13 | 9–7 | 4th | |
| Kayla Karius: | Kayla Karius: | 37–29 (.561) | 19–15 (.559) | | |
| Carrie Eighmey (Summit League) (2024–present) ||||||
| 2024–25 | Carrie Eighmey | 0–0 | 0–0 | | |
| Carrie Eighmey: | Carrie Eighmey: | 0–0 (–) | 0–0 (–) | | |
| Total: | Total: | 913–572 (.615) | | | |
| National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||