Vanderbilt's Ralph is USBWA Women's National Coach of the Year

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph has been named the 2025-26 U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Women’s National Coach of the Year, recognizing a historic season in which she has led the Commodores to unprecedented success and national prominence.

Ralph will be formally honored on April 16 at the USBWA Awards Dinner hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, along with the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and Tamika Catchings Award winners as the women's national player and freshman player of the year.

In her fifth season at the helm in Nashville, Ralph has guided Vanderbilt to a 27-4 overall record and a 13-3 mark in Southeastern Conference play, tying for second place and matching the best conference finish in program history. The Commodores have set a school record with 27 regular-season victories and established a new program benchmark with 13 SEC wins.

Despite returning just one starter from last season, Ralph orchestrated one of the most remarkable seasons in the nation, leading Vanderbilt to its most successful regular season in school history. The Commodores were dominant at home, posting a perfect 16-0 record at Memorial Gymnasium, the first undefeated home season in program history.

Ralph’s impact was felt across the conference and nationally. She was named SEC Coach of the Year, becoming the first Vanderbilt women’s basketball coach to earn the honor. Under her leadership, Mikayla Blakes was named the SEC Player of the Year, while Aubrey Galvan earned SEC Freshman of the Year recognition. Vanderbilt became just the fourth SEC program ever — and the sixth occurrence overall — to sweep the league’s Coach, Player and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season.

The Commodores enter the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 6 in both major polls and will host their first NCAA Tournament game since 2012. Vanderbilt earned a No. 2 seed and will face No. 15 seed High Point in first-round action Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium.

A Fayetteville, North Carolina native, Ralph has compiled a 100-63 record in her five seasons at Vanderbilt. Prior to her arrival in Nashville, she spent 13 seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut under Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma. During her time with the Huskies, Ralph was a USBWA All-American guard (1999-2000 season) and overall was part of 12 Final Four appearances and six national championships as a player and coach, including a record four consecutive NCAA titles from 2013-16.

Ralph becomes just the second Vanderbilt women’s basketball coach to earn USBWA National Coach of the Year honors, joining Jim Foster, who received the award in 1992-93 when the Commodores reached the Final Four.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.