NC State’s Wes Moore is 1 of 4 Finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year Award

NC State Women’s Basketball Coach Wes Moore is 1 of 4 Finalists for the 2019 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Basketball Coach of the Year Award, along with Lisa Bluder (Iowa), Kim Mulkey (Baylor) and Vic Schaefer (Mississippi State).

Beginning March 22, 2019, fans will be able to support their favorite finalist by visiting naismithtrophy.com/vote until April 3, to cast their ballot. The fan vote will account for five percent of the overall final vote. The 2019 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year will be announced on April 6, and the winner will be honored at their school at a later date.

“Each of these coaches has what it takes to win the Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s Coach of the Year honor,” said Stacy Gardella, vice president of brand marketing at WernerCo. “We look forward to watching these coaches inspire their teams throughout the tournament.”

About the finalists:

Lisa Bluder, Iowa
• Bluder led her team to the program’s first Big Ten Tournament title since 2001.
• Her Hawkeyes have a record of 26-6.
• With 35 years total of coaching experience, she has led the Hawkeyes to 18 postseason appearances in
her 19 years coaching at Iowa.
• Bluder’s Hawkeyes are the No. 2 seed in the Greensboro Region of the NCAA Tournament.

Wes Moore, N.C. State
• Moore guided his team to be the only remaining undefeated team in women’s or men’s basketball until
the team’s faceoff with North Carolina on Feb. 3, breaking a streak of 21 consecutive wins.
• He is the first coach in history to advance three different teams to the NCAA Tournament at the Division
I, II and III levels.
• His team has a record of 26-5 and 12-4 in the conference.
• Moore’s Wolfpack are the No. 3 seed in NCAA Tournament’s Greensboro Region.

Kim Mulkey, Baylor
• In her 19th year as head coach, Mulkey led her team to its 10th regular season and 10th Big 12
Tournament championship title.
• Her Bears hold a record 31-1 this season.
• Earning the No. 1 ranking in the final Associated Press (AP) Top 25 poll, her team has won 23 straight
games, currently the longest winning streak in the country.
• The Bears are seeded No. 1 in the Greensboro Region of the NCAA Tournament.

Vic Schaefer, Mississippi State University
• This season, Schaefer guided Mississippi State to the program’s first Southeastern Conference (SEC)
Tournament championship and its second regular-season SEC title.
• His Bulldogs have a 30-2 record with 15-1 conference standing and have been in the AP Top 25 for 93
straight weeks.
• Schaefer was honored with the SEC Coach of the Year, becoming just the sixth coach to have earned the
SEC honor multiple times.
• The Bulldogs are the No. 1 seed in the Portland Region in the NCAA Tournament. (Link)