The Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball team represents

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Kentucky, third-most populous city in the stat ...

. The team currently competes in the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

as a member of

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

. Greg Collins is entering his seventh season as the head coach of the Lady Toppers in 2024–25 after previously serving as the team's associate head coach under

Michelle Clark-Heard Michelle Clark-Heard (born July 27, 1968) is the head coach for the Mercer Bears women's basketball team. Career In her first year at Western Kentucky University her team posted a 22–11 record, after going 9–21 the season prior to her arriva ...

Postseason

Western Kentucky University's women's basketball team has appeared in 33 national postseason tournaments, all since 1984.

NCAA tournament results

The Lady Toppers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 20 times, with a record of 17–20. They were NCAA runners-up in 1992 and made Final Four appearances in 1985 and 1986.

WNIT results

The Lady Toppers have appeared in the

Women's National Invitation Tournament The Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) is a women's national college basketball tournament. It used to feature both a preseason and postseason version played every year, but the preseason tournament was last held in 2023. It is operate ...

(WNIT) 13 times, with an overall record of 18-15. They made the semifinals of the tournament in 2006 and 2007. *Note: Appearances were in the

National Women's Invitational Tournament The National Women's Invitational Tournament (NWIT) was a post-season tournament for women's intercollegiate basketball programs that was contested from 1969 to 1996. The original sponsorship information appears to have been lost over the ensuin ...

(NWIT), prior to the start of the WNIT.

Rivalries

;Source:

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters

Louisville Cardinals

Home venue

E. A. Diddle Arena

Players

WNBA draft

Coaches

*J. L. Author (1914–16) 1–0 record in 2 seasons as head coach (incomplete records) *No Team 1916–21 *Josephine Cherry and W.J. Craig (1921–22) 4–0 record in 1 season as co-head coaches *

Edgar Diddle Edgar Allen Diddle (March 12, 1895 – January 2, 1970) was an American college men's basketball coach, who also coached college football and baseball teams. He is known for coaching at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky from ...

(1922–24) 11–6 record in 2 seasons as head coach *Jane Culbert (1924–25) 3–6 record in 1 season as head coach *Nell Robbins (1925–26) 3–6 record in 1 season as head coach *Elizabeth Dabbs (1926–30) 20–11 record in 4 seasons as head coach (incomplete records) *No Team (1930–73) *Pam Dickson (1973–1974) 4–7 record in 1 season as head coach *Dr. Carol Hughes (1974–1976) 22–20 record in 2 seasons as head coach *Julia Yeater (1976–1978) 44–18 in 2 seasons as head coach *Eileen Canty (1978–1982) 50–62 in 4 seasons as head coach *

Paul Sanderford Paul "Buster" Sanderford (born November 8, 1949) is a retired college basketball coach who coached from the 1970s to 2000s. From 1976 to 1982, Sanderford accumulated 163 wins and 19 losses while coaching the women's basketball team at Louisburg ...

(1982–1997) 365–120 in 15 seasons as head coach *Steve Small (1997–2001) 88–40 in 4 seasons as head coach *Shawn Campbell (2001–2002) 14–12 in 1 season as head coach *Marti Whitmore (2002) 2–2 in 1 season as head coach (finished 2002 season after Campbell's departure) *Mary Taylor Cowles (2002–2012) 199–119 in 10 seasons as head coach *

(2012–2018) 154–48 in 6 seasons as head coach *Greg Collins (2018–present) 49–38 in 3 seasons as head coach

References

External links

* {{Conference USA women's basketball navbox