Dawn Plitzuweit (pronounced PLITTS-zoo-white)
New Gophers coach Dawn Plitzuweit at a glance
Plitzuweit hails from eastern Wisconsin, had a decorated playing career at Michigan Tech and has won at each of her coaching stops.
Age: 50
Hometown: West Bend, Wis. (40 minutes northwest of Milwaukee)
Family: She and husband, Jay, have a son, A.J. who plays basketball for the University of South Dakota and daughter, Lexi, who plays basketball for Grand Valley (Mich.) State.
College: She graduated from Michigan Tech in 1995 with a degree in biological sciences. For the Huskies, she was a two-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player of the year, leading the team to four trips to the NCAA Division II tournament.
Experience summary: 28 years of coaching experience, 16 as a head coach, career record of 365-141. She had stints as an assistant at Michigan Tech, Green Bay, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Career highlights: She coached South Dakota to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in 2022. She also coached Grand Valley State to a Division II national championship in 2006.
Previous: She coached West Virginia for one season. The Mountaineers went 19-12 and were eliminated from the NCAA tournament Friday by Arizona, a No. 7 seed knocking off a the No. 10.
Year-by-year coaching record
Year School Overall Conf. Postseason
2002–03 Grand Valley State 24–7 13–5 NCAA Division II first round
2003–04 Grand Valley State 11–15 8–10 none
2004–05 Grand Valley State 28–6 16–2 NCAA Division II quarterfinals
2005–06 Grand Valley State 33–3 15–1 NCAA Division II champion
2006–07 Grand Valley State 21–8 14–4 NCAA Division II first round
2012–13 Northern Kentucky 15–13 12–6 WBI first round
2013–14 Northern Kentucky 18–13 13–5 WBI second round
2014–15 Northern Kentucky 19–14 8–6 WBI first round
2015–16 Northern Kentucky 19–14 9–9 WBI first round
2016–17 South Dakota 23–9 11–5 WNIT second round
2017–18 South Dakota 29–7 14–0 WNIT quarterfinals
2018–19 South Dakota 28–6 14–2 NCAA first round
2019–20 South Dakota 30–2 15–0 postseason not held
2020–21 South Dakota 19–5 12–2 NCAA first round
2021–22 South Dakota 29–6 17–1 NCAA Sweet 16
2022–23 West Virginia 19–12 10–8 NCAA first round
Aaron Huglen and wife Maddie are expecting their first baby right before the Gophers take aim at a sixth NCAA title.