While women head coaches are still a minority at Division I schools, the trend line is continuing to move upward. The annual Women in College Coaching report card, released Wednesday by the University of Minnesota's Tucker Center, shows a 1.2% increase in the number of women head coaches at seven major Division I conferences — the largest one-year gain in the report card's 10-year history. Yet the pace of change remains slow, averaging 0.4% per year.
New report shows slight national increase in women's coaching hires
The University of Minnesota's Tucker Center released its annual Women in College Coaching report card on Wednesday.
June 23, 2022 at 2:13AM
Some additional findings of the report, compiled by the Tucker Center and WeCOACH:
- 43.4% of women's D-I teams have a woman as head coach, up from 42.7% last year. Among the "Select 7'' conferences — AAC, ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, and SEC — the percentage rose from 42.5% to 43.7%. The percentage for all D-I teams rose for the fourth consecutive year, while the Select 7 percentage increased for the eighth year in a row.
- Among D-I schools, Rhode Island has the highest percentage of women head coaches (90%); among sports, lacrosse has the highest percentage (90.8). North Dakota State was one of four schools with no women in head coaching positions.
- At Select 7 schools, a majority of head-coaching vacancies for women's teams were filled by women in 2021-22 (51.9%), the first time that has happened in the report's 10-year history.
- Women of color hold only 7.35% of head coaching positions of women's D-I teams.
- At the U, eight of 13 women's teams have a woman as head coach (61.5%), earning a B grade. St. Thomas (five of 11, 45.5%) received a C. The Big Ten (52.7%) was among 20 conferences receiving a C grade, and the Summit League — whose 25.3% was the lowest of any D-I conference — was one of 11 to receive a D.
- At the current rate of change (0.4% per year), it will take 17 years for women to fill 50% of head coaching positions in D-I women's sports.
The full report can be viewed at http://z.umn.edu/tc-wccrc-10th
Two offensive linemen from Lakeville, Bryce Benhart and Riley Mahlman, are standouts for Big Ten rivals of Minnesota.
