Texas Tech University Athletics
Gerlich named National Semifinalist for Naismith Coach of the Year
March 19, 2026 | Women's Basketball
LUBBOCK, Texas – Head Coach Krista Gerlich was named as one of the 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Semifinalists as announced by the organization on Thursday morning. Gerlich is the only Big 12 head coach represented on the semifinalist list, joining Geno Auriemma (UCONN), Kim Barnes Arico (Michigan), Cori Close (UCLA), Jan Jensen (Iowa), Kara Lawson (Duke), Shea Ralph (Vanderbilt), Tammi Reiss (Rhode Island), Vic Schaefer (Texas) and Dawn Staley (South Carolina).
Texas Tech is having one of its best seasons in program history. Picked 13th in the Big 12 preseason poll, the Lady Raiders would go on to finish tied for fourth in the conference after going 12-6 during league play. Boasting a 25-7 overall record and making their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 13 years, the Lady Raiders earned their highest Big 12 finish in 13 years, their most wins since 2003-04 and their most Big 12 wins since 2004-05. Gerlich joined legendary head coach Marsha Sharp as the second head coach in program history to be named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.
Gerlich aided Texas Tech to its best start in program history at 19-0, which also tied a 19-game winning streak record set back in the 1993 championship season. Spending 12-consecutive weeks in the top-25 national polls and to their first national ranking since 2012, Gerlich helped the Lady Raiders to three top-15 wins on the season. Among those were two top-15 wins over the Baylor Bears as Tech snapped a 31-game Baylor winning streak dating back to 2011. The Lady Raiders got their first sweep of the Bears in a season since 2003-04, their first win in Waco, Texas since Feb. 8, 2004 and their largest margin of victory over a ranked team since at least 2000 with the 87-56 win on Feb. 18.
Texas Tech began conference play with a 6-0 start, the best start to conference since 2000-01. The Scarlet and Black earned its first win at West Virginia since 2015 and only their third win in Morgantown, W.Va., in program history back in January. After beating Cincinnati for the first time in program history, the Lady Raiders would earn back-to-back road Big 12 wins since the 2004-05 season. In addition, the Lady Raiders defeated regular-season Big 12 champions and then-No. 12-ranked TCU on Feb. 1 by a 62-60 score. Currently, the Lady Raiders are 7-3 against 2026 NCAA Tournament teams this year. Â
The No. 7 Lady Raiders are set to play in their first NCAA Tournament since 2013 against No. 10 Villanova in the first round on Friday at 7:30 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge, La.
Full list of semifinalists:
Geno Auriemma, UCONN
Kim Barnes Arico, Michigan
Cori Close, UCLA
Krista Gerlich, Texas Tech
Jan Jensen, Iowa
Kara Lawson, Duke
Shea Ralph, Vanderbilt
Tammi Reiss, Rhode Island
Vic Schaefer, Texas
Dawn Staley, South Carolina
