University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Record Top Turnaround in NCAA Division I
04.20.2016 | Women's Basketball
INDIANAPOLIS, IN- The UNC Asheville women's basketball team was named the most improved team in women's Division I basketball, the NCAA announced yesterday. Asheville recorded a 16-game turnaround in a one year period to take the top spot followed by the University of Texas El Paso with a 14-game turnaround.
In 2014-15, the Bulldogs posted an overall record of 9-22, only to improve to a record of 26-7 in the 2015-16 season, including the program's first ever regular season conference title, and conference championship tournament title and an NCAA first round appearance.
The Bulldogs were led by Big South Conference Coach of the Year, head coach Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, who is currently in her fourth year as the head of the program at Asheville. Kirkpatrick was also named Division I women's basketball Coach of the Year by HERO Sports.
"We celebrate the fact that we had the biggest turnaround in Division I women's basketball. It says a lot about this year's team, our senior's leadership, and the ability to apply the lessons we learned in the three season prior to this one. They are a very mature and bright group of young ladies. It's interesting that in not focusing as much on the results this season and rather on the process actually lead to more results for this team," said head coach Kirkpatrick.
Asheville hosted many decorated Bulldogs as a part of the 2015-16 campaign that paved the way to the NCAA's most impressive turnaround season. Junior Chatori Major earned Big South Conference Player of the Year and Conference Tournament MVP honors, along with her teammate, Tianna Knuckles who received Big South Second Team All-Conference honors as well as being named an All-Tournament team selection.
After being picked eighth of ten teams in the Big South Conference Preseason Poll back in October, the Bulldogs had a season for the record books in 2015-16, posting program-highs in both regular season wins (26) and conference wins (16). Asheville's 26 season victories betters the 22 combined wins from the Bulldogs' past three seasons, (2012-13: 2-28, 2013-14: 11-20, 2014-15: 9-22).
"Going from nine wins to 26 requires the efforts of everyone in and around the program from the administration, the strength coach, the trainer, the coaching staff to the student-athletes who got on the court and did the work. We are proud of our efforts and we are now working towards a different goal. We will not, however, abandon the process, just enter into a different phase of our program's journey," Kirkpatrick said.
Asheville's double-overtime 64-62 victory over Liberty University in Big South Conference Tournament Championship game punched their ticket to the 2016 NCAA tournament for the only the second time in program history. The Bulldogs earned a No. 14 in the tournament to face the No. 3 seeded Kentucky Wildcats.
Asheville's record-setting season came to close in Lexington when they fell to the Wildcats on their home court in the first round (85-31).
** To determine games improved, add the difference in victories between the two seasons to the difference in losses, then divide by two. Includes postseason.
