Former South Dakota HC Dawn Plitzuweit Extended at Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gopher Women's Basketball is continuing its ascent back into the spotlight of Women's College Basketball.
After a tough stretch that saw the program not win 20 games in any season from 2019 to 2023, Coach Dawn Plitzuweit was hired and tasked with a turnaround.
She has delivered thus far to the tune of back-to-back 20+ win seasons, and that performance has earned the former South Dakota Head Coach a contract extension.
Per GopherSports.com:
Director of Athletics Mark Coyle announced today that women's basketball head coach Dawn Plitzuweit has agreed to a contract extension that will keep her in Maroon and Gold through the 2031 season.
Plitzuweit enters her third season as head coach of the Minnesota women's basketball program in 2025-26, following a standout campaign that saw the Gophers win the WBIT (Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament) Championship, their first postseason title since 2012.
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Minnesota is 45-27 overall under Plitzuweit, and she has led the Gophers to back-to-back postseason championship-game berths for the first time in program history (2024 WNIT, 2025 WBIT).
Year two saw continued growth under Plitzuweit and her staff. The squad notched a 25-11 record, marking the first 25 win season since 2004-05 and back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2017-18 and 2018-19. Minnesota also saw its first AP National ranking since 2019, when the Gophers entered the polls at No. 24 on Jan. 13, 2025.
We here in South Dakota are no strangers to Coach Plitzuweit's style and sustained success:
During her six seasons in Vermillion, South Dakota, she amassed a 158-36 record, including an 83-10 mark in the Summit League. The three-time Summit League Coach of the Year, Plitzuweit led the Coyotes to three regular-season championships, three conference tournament championships, four NCAA Tournament appearances and a berth in the 2022 NCAA Sweet 16 during her tenure at USD.
The Gophers are on the rise, and Coach Plitzuweit's team will surely be on the radar when basketball season comes back around. The Gophers haven't had a winning record in Big Ten play since 2018, and it's a safe bet to assume that might be challenged this season.
Sources: Gopher Sports and Sports Reference (Stats)
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