# Wright State Raiders women's basketball

The Wright State Raiders team is the NCAA Division I women's basketball team that represents Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. The Raiders are currently coached by Kari Hoffman. The Raiders play at the Wright State University Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio. The official capacity for basketball games is 10,400.

## History

Wright State first sponsored women's basketball in 1973. In 1990 Wright State joined the North Star Conference, where they played until 1992 when the conference was effectively absorbed by the Mid-Continent Conference. In 1995 Wright State would move to the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. The conference changed its name to the Horizon League on June 4, 2001.
The team earned its first NCAA Tournament win in March 2021, upsetting the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks 66–62.

### Retired numbers

Wright State has retired one jersey number in its history.
| No. | Player | Position | Career |
| 4 | Kim Demmings | G | 2011–2016 |

## Facilities

The Wright State Raiders currently play their home games at the Wright State University Nutter Center (originally named Ervin J. Nutter Center). Ervin J. Nutter, donated $1.5 million to Wright State University in 1986. Funds from both the state of Ohio and the university contributed an additional $8 million to construction efforts which began in 1988. The Ervin J. Nutter Center Completed in 1990.

## Coaches

The Raiders have had 8 coaches in their 52-year history. Current coach Kari Hoffman was hired in 2021.
| Coach | Years | Overall record | Win % |
| Arnelle Jackson | 1973–1975 | 14–31 | .311 |
| Pat Davis | 1976–1989 | 187–172 | .521 |
| Terry Hill | 1990–1996 | 61–130 | .319 |
| Lisa Fitch | 1997–2000 | 30–80 | .273 |
| Bridgett Williams | 2001–2009 | 109–155 | .413 |
| Mike Bradbury | 2010–2016 | 104–62 | .627 |
| Katrina Merriweather | 2016–2021 | 113–47 | .706 |
| Kari Hoffman | 2021–Present | 40–80 | .333 |
| Overall record: | Overall record: | 658 – 757 | .465 |

### Current coaching staff

| Name | Position |
| Kari Hoffman | Head coach |
| John Leonzo | Associate Head Coach |
| Patrick Bain | Assistant coach |
| Lauryn Fox | Assistant coach |
| Emily Chapman | Director of Operations |

## Seasons

WSU's records season by season during their Division II tenure.
| Season | Head Coach | Overall record | Leading Scorer | MVP |
| Division II Independent |||||
| 1973–74 | Arnelle Jackson | 1–13 | Terry York | Jeanne Keister |
| 1974–75 | Arnelle Jackson | 4–10 | Margie Coate | Margie Coate |
| 1975–76 | Arnelle Jackson | 9–8 | Connie Philon | Margie Coate |
| 1976–77 | Pat Davis | 5–12 | Cindy Mercer | Cindy Mercer |
| 1977–78 | Pat Davis | 10–10 | Jayne Helmlinger | Jayne Helmlinger |
| 1978–79 | Pat Davis | 10–13 | Jackie Swenson | Biermann / Swenson |
| 1979–80 | Pat Davis | 17–9 | Jodi Martin | Jodi Martin |
| 1980–81 | Pat Davis | 15–10 | Jodi Martin | Jodi Martin |
| 1981–82 | Pat Davis | 14–12 | Jodi Martin | Jodi Martin |
| 1982–83 | Pat Davis | 11–14 | Jodi Martin | Jodi Martin |
| 1983–84 | Pat Davis | 17–10 | Lois Warburg | Lois Warburg |
| 1984–85 | Pat Davis | 16–12 | Jenny Horn | Jenny Horn |
| 1985–86 | Pat Davis | 18–10 | Jenny Horn | Jenny Horn |
| 1986–87 | Pat Davis | 24–5 | Janet Emerson | Janet Emerson |
WSU's records season by season since joining Division I in 1987.
| Season | Head Coach | Overall record | Conf. Record | Postseason |
| Division I Independent |||||
| 1987–88 | Pat Davis | 17–11 | 0–0 | – |
| 1988–89 | Pat Davis | 10–18 | 0–0 | – |
| 1989–90 | Pat Davis | 3–25 | 0–0 | – |
| North Star Conference |||||
| 1990–91 | Terry Hall | 4–24 | 3–11 | – |
| 1991–92 | Terry Hall | 8–20 | 5–7 | – |
| Mid-Continent Conference |||||
| 1992–93 | Terry Hall | 9–18 | 5–11 | – |
| 1993–94 | Terry Hall | 12–15 | 7–11 | – |
| Midwestern Collegiate Conference |||||
| 1994–95 | Terry Hall | 11–16 | 5–11 | – |
| 1995–96 | Terry Hall | 11–16 | 5–11 | – |
| 1996–97 | Terry Hall | 6–21 | 4–12 | – |
| 1997–98 | Lisa Fitch | 9–18 | 5–9 | – |
| 1998–99 | Lisa Fitch | 7–20 | 3–11 | – |
| 1999–2000 | Lisa Fitch | 8–20 | 5–9 | – |
| 2000–01 | Lisa Fitch | 6–22 | 3–11 | – |
| Horizon League |||||
| 2001–02 | Bridgett Williams | 6–22 | 4–12 | – |
| 2002–03 | Bridgett Williams | 11–17 | 8–8 | – |
| 2003–04 | Bridgett Williams | 9–20 | 5–11 | – |
| 2004–05 | Bridgett Williams | 19–11 | 11–5 | – |
| 2005–06 | Bridgett Williams | 12–16 | 8–8 | – |
| 2006–07 | Bridgett Williams | 10–18 | 8–8 | – |
| 2007–08 | Bridgett Williams | 16–16 | 11–5 | – |
| 2008–09 | Bridgett Williams | 15–16 | 10–8 | – |
| 2009–10 | Bridgett Williams | 11–19 | 10–8 | – |
| 2010–11 | Mike Bradbury | 20–13 | 11–7 | WBI 2nd Round |
| 2011–12 | Mike Bradbury | 21–13 | 12–6 | WBI 2nd Round |
| 2012–13 | Mike Bradbury | 12–18 | 6–10 | – |
| 2013–14 | Mike Bradbury | 26–9 | 12–4 | NCAA 1st Round |
| 2014–15 | Mike Bradbury | 25–9 | 12–4 | WNIT 1st Round |
| 2015–16 | Mike Bradbury | 24–11 | 12–6 | WNIT 1st Round |
| 2016–17 | Katrina Merriweather | 25–9 | 15–3 | WNIT 2nd Round |
| 2017–18 | Katrina Merriweather | 23–11 | 12–6 | WNIT 1st Round |
| 2018–19 | Katrina Merriweather | 27–6 | 16–2 | NCAA 1st Round |
| 2019–20 | Katrina Merriweather | 19–12 | 13–5 | |
| 2020–21 | Katrina Merriweather | 19–8 | 15–5 | NCAA 2nd Round |
| 2021–22 | Kari Hoffman | 4–19 | 3–18 | – |
| 2022–23 | Kari Hoffman | 8–24 | 6–14 | – |
| 2023–24 | Kari Hoffman | 18–15 | 11–9 | – |
| 2024–25 | Kari Hoffman | 10–22 | 7–13 | – |

### Notes

* ↑ No tournaments held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

### Record vs. Horizon League opponents

* Cleveland State: 42–47
* Detroit: 39–29
* Green Bay: 7–75
* IUINDY: 15–10
* Milwaukee: 37–35
* Northern Kentucky: 19–16
* Oakland: 22–8
* Purdue Ft. Wayne 11-13
* Robert Morris 6-9
* Youngstown State: 43–31

## NCAA Tournament history

| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
| 2014 | #14 | First round | #3 Kentucky | L 60–106 |
| 2019 | #13 | First round | #4 Texas A&M | L 84–61 |
| 2021 | #13 | First round Second round | #4 Arkansas #5 Missouri State | W 66–62 L 64–39 |

### NCAA Tournament seeding history

The 1982 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament was the first Women's Basketball Tournament held under the auspices of the NCAA.
| Years → | 2014 | 2019 | 2021 |
| Seeds | 14 | 13 | 13 |

## Tournament championships

Wright State has 3 conference tournament championships. On March 16, 2014 they defeated Green Bay 88–69 to clinch their first Horizon League tournament championship. The Raiders claimed their second Horizon League tournament championship in 2019 when they defeated Green Bay 55–52. They claimed their third with a 53–41 victory over IUPUI on March 9, 2021.
| Season | Coach | Opponent | Score | Site | Overall record | Conference record | Conference |
| 2013–14 | Mike Bradbury | Green Bay | 88–69 | Green Bay, WI | 26–8 | 12–4 | Horizon |
| 2018–19 | Katrina Merriweather | Green Bay | 55–52 | Detroit, MI | 27–6 | 16–2 | Horizon |
| 2020–21 | Katrina Merriweather | IUPUI | 53–41 | Indianapolis, IN | 19–7 | 15–5 | Horizon |
| Horizon League tournament championships: | Horizon League tournament championships: | Horizon League tournament championships: | Horizon League tournament championships: | Horizon League tournament championships: | Horizon League tournament championships: | 3 | 3 |

## Women's National Invitation Tournament

Wright State has appeared in 4 Women's National Invitation Tournament. Wright State's record is 1–4 in the Women's National Invitational Tournament.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
| 2015 | First round | Toledo | L 64–72 |
| 2016 | First round | Michigan | L 53- 81 |
| 2017 | First round | Central Michigan | W 66–64 |
| 2017 | Second round | Michigan | L 66–71 |
| 2018 | First round | Toledo | L 50–64 |

## Women's Basketball Invitational

Wright State has appeared in 2 Women's Basketball Invitational tournaments. Their record is 2–2
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
| 2010 | First round Second round | Buffalo Manhattan | W 82–79 L 73–75 |
| 2011 | First round Second round | SIU Edwardsville Seattle | W 73–64 L 65–82 |