BYU Cougars women's basketball

BYU Cougars women's basketball
2025–26 BYU Cougars women's basketball team
UniversityBrigham Young University
First season1972–1973
All-time record934–557 (.626)
Athletic directorBrian Santiago
Head coachLee Cummard (1st season)
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
LocationProvo, Utah
ArenaMarriott Center
(capacity: 17,978)
NicknameCougars
Student sectionThe ROC
ColorsBlue and white[1]
   
Uniforms
Home
Away
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
2002, 2014
NCAA tournament appearances
1984, 1985, 1993, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2022
AIAW tournament Sweet Sixteen
1980
AIAW tournament appearances
1978, 1979, 1980
Conference tournament champions
1993, 2002, 2012, 2015, 2019
Conference regular-season champions
1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1993, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2016, 2022

The BYU Cougars women's basketball team is the women's college basketball program representing Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. The Cougars began female collegiate basketball competition in 1972 and have won 18 conference championships. They compete in the Big 12 Conference.

History

The BYU Cougars women's basketball team traces its roots to 1900, when a team was created at Brigham Young Academy, the precursor to BYU.[2] Its official inaugural season was in 1972. From 1972 to 1977, the team was coached by Elaine Michaelis, during which time she simultaneously coached women's volleyball, field hockey, and softball at one point. The program found early success under coach Courtney Leishman, who took over in 1977, with the team winning five straight regular-season championships in the Intermountain Athletic Conference (IAC) from 1977–78 to 1981–82. The Cougars also made three appearances in the AIAW Tournament (1978, 1979, 1980), reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 1980. BYU made the transition to NCAA Division I and earned its first NCAA Tournament bid in the 1983–84 season. The Cougars competed in the High Country Athletic Conference (HCAC), Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and Mountain West Conference (MWC) during the years that followed, securing several conference titles. The team made notable NCAA Tournament appearances in the 1980s and 1990s, including a WAC Tournament Championship in 1993.[3]

The most consistent period of success for the program came under head coach Jeff Judkins, who led the team from the 2001–02 season through 2021–22, becoming the winningest coach in program history. Judkins guided the Cougars to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen twice: 2002 and 2014.[4][5] The team won multiple regular-season and tournament championships in both the Mountain West Conference and the West Coast Conference (WCC), which they joined in 2011. During their time in the WCC (2011–2023), BYU was a consistent contender, winning three WCC Tournament Championships (2012, 2015, 2019) and two WCC Regular Season Championships (2021, 2022).[3] The BYU Cougars made a significant move in 2023, joining the Big 12 Conference.[6]

As of 2025, the Cougars have been ranked in the AP poll a total of 38 times since 1977, with its highest rank at #15.[7]

Venue

The Cougars play their home games in the Marriott Center, which is the largest basketball arena in the Big 12 Conference, with a capacity of 17,978.[8]

Coaches

Name Career Record Pct.
Elaine Michaelis 1972–1977 48–28 .632
Courtney Leishman 1977–1989 219–124 .638
Jeanie Wilson 1989–1994 79–63 .556
Soni Adams 1994–1997 28–55 .337
Trent Shippen 1997–2001 72–49 .595
Jeff Judkins 2001–2022 351–162 .684
Amber Whiting 2022–2025 45–51 .469
Lee Cummard 2025–present 10–1 .711

Players

The BYU women's basketball team has produced 16 All-Americans, including Tina Gunn Robison, who was the 1980 AWSF National Player of the Year.[9] Players who have gone on to play in the WNBA include Erin Thorn, Ambrosia Anderson, and Jennifer Hamson.

Results by season

Statistics overview
Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Elaine Michaelis (Intermountain Athletic Conference) (1972–1977)
1972–1973 Elaine Michaelis 9–3 9–3 2nd —
1973–1974 Elaine Michaelis 9–5 9–5 2nd —
1974–1975 Elaine Michaelis 7–6 7–5 5th —
1975–1976 Elaine Michaelis 11–6 10–3 2nd —
1976–1977 Elaine Michaelis 12–8 10–3 2nd —
Elaine Michaelis: 56–32 45–19
Courtney Leishman (Intermountain Athletic Conference) (1977–1982)
1977–1978 Courtney Leishman 22–6 13–0 1st AIAW First Round
1978–1979 Courtney Leishman 21–7 11–2 1st AIAW First Round
1979–1980 Courtney Leishman 24–9 8–2 T-1st AIAW Second Round
1980–1981 Courtney Leishman 21–8 9–1 T-1st —
1981–1982 Courtney Leishman 24–13 7–3 1st WNIT Third Round
Courtney Leishman: 112–43 48–8
Courtney Leishman (High Country Athletic Conference) (1982–1990)
1982–1983 Courtney Leishman 17–8 8–2 2nd —
1983–1984 Courtney Leishman 18–8 9–1 1st NCAA First Round
1984–1985 Courtney Leishman 19–9 11–1 1st NCAA First Round
1985–1986 Courtney Leishman 16–11 9–3 2nd —
1986–1987 Courtney Leishman 16–11 9–3 2nd —
1987–1988 Courtney Leishman 12–15 4–6 3rd —
1988–1989 Courtney Leishman 8–19 3–7 4th —
Courtney Leishman: 107–81 55–23
Jeanie Wilson (High Country Athletic Conference) (1989–1990)
1989–1990 Jeanie Wilson 10–17 2–8 5th —
Jeanie Wilson: 10–17 2–8
Jeanie Wilson (Western Athletic Conference) (1990–1994)
1990–1991 Jeanie Wilson 8–21 3–9 5th —
1991–1992 Jeanie Wilson 21–8 12–2 2nd —
1992–1993 Jeanie Wilson 24–5 13–1 1st NCAA First Round
1993–1994 Jeanie Wilson 16–12 10–4 2nd —
Jeanie Wilson: 79–63 40–24
Soni Adams (Western Athletic Conference) (1994–1997)
1994–1995 Soni Adams 8–19 4–10 7th —
1995–1996 Soni Adams 9–18 3–11 7th —
1996–1997 Soni Adams 11–18 7–9 5th —
Soni Adams: 28–55 14–30
Trent Shippen (Western Athletic Conference) (1997–1999)
1997–1998 Trent Shippen 15–14 6–8 5th —
1998–1999 Trent Shippen 16–13 9–5 3rd WNIT First Round
Trent Shippen: 31–27 15–13
Trent Shippen (Mountain West Conference) (1999–2001)
1999–2000 Trent Shippen 22–9 10–4 2nd NCAA First Round
2000–2001 Trent Shippen 19–13 8–6 3rd WNIT Second Round
Trent Shippen: 41–22 18–10
Jeff Judkins (Mountain West Conference) (2001–2011)
2001–2002 Jeff Judkins 24–9 10–4 3rd NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2002–2003 Jeff Judkins 19–12 8–6 3rd NCAA First Round
2003–2004 Jeff Judkins 15–14 5–9 6th —
2004–2005 Jeff Judkins 19–11 9–5 3rd WNIT First Round
2005–2006 Jeff Judkins 26–6 13–3 1st NCAA Second Round
2006–2007 Jeff Judkins 23–10 12–4 1st NCAA First Round
2007–2008 Jeff Judkins 13–16 7–9 5th —
2008–2009 Jeff Judkins 18–11 8–8 5th —
2009–2010 Jeff Judkins 23–10 11–5 2nd WNIT Elite Eight
2010–2011 Jeff Judkins 25–9 15–1 1st WNIT Sweet Sixteen
Jeff Judkins: 205–108 98–54
Jeff Judkins (West Coast Conference) (2011–2022)
2011–2012 Jeff Judkins 26–7 12–4 2nd NCAA First Round
2012–2013 Jeff Judkins 23–11 11–5 3rd WNIT Sweet Sixteen
2013–2014 Jeff Judkins 28–7 14–4 2nd NCAA Sweet Sixteen
2014–2015 Jeff Judkins 23–10 12–6 5th NCAA First Round
2015–2016 Jeff Judkins 26–7 16–2 1st NCAA First Round
2016–2017 Jeff Judkins 20–12 13–5 2nd WNIT First Round
2017–2018 Jeff Judkins 16–14 11–7 3rd —
2018–2019 Jeff Judkins 26–7 15–3 2nd NCAA Second Round
2019–2020 Jeff Judkins 14–9 9–4 2nd Cancelled (COVID)
2020–2021 Jeff Judkins 19–6 13–3 2nd NCAA Second Round
2021–2022 Jeff Judkins 26–4 15–1 1st NCAA Second Round
Jeff Judkins: 251–96 141–47
Amber Whiting (West Coast Conference) (2022–2023)
2022–2023 Amber Whiting 16–17 9–9 T-4th WNIT First Round
Amber Whiting: 16–17 9–9
Amber Whiting (Big 12 Conference) (2023–2025)
2023–2024 Amber Whiting 16–17 6–12 T–9th WBIT First Round
2024–2025 Amber Whiting 13–17 4–14 T–12th —
Amber Whiting: 29–34 10–26
Lee Cummard (Big 12 Conference) (2025–present)
2025–2026 Lee Cummard 10–1 0–0 TBD TBD
Lee Cummard: 10–1 0–0
Total: 965–579

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Postseason appearances

NCAA Division I

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1984 #8 First Round #1 USC L 72–97
1985 #8 First Round #1 Long Beach State L 85–112
1993 #12 First Round #5 UC Santa Barbara L 79–88
2000 #12 First Round #5 Oklahoma L 81–86
2002 #11 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		 #6 Florida
#3 Iowa State
#2 Tennessee		 W 90–52
W 75–69
L 57–68
2003 #11 First Round #6 Colorado L 45–84
2006 #7 First Round
Second Round		 #10 Iowa
#2 Oklahoma		 W 67–62
L 70–86
2007 #11 First Round #6 Louisville L 54–80
2012 #10 First Round #7 DePaul L 55–59
2014 #12 First Round
Second Round
Sweet Sixteen		 #5 NC State
#4 Nebraska
#1 Connecticut		 W 72–57
W 80–76
L 51–70
2015 #14 First Round #3 Louisville L 53–86
2016 #7 First Round #10 Missouri L 69–78
2019 #7 First Round
Second Round		 #10 Auburn
#2 Stanford		 W 73–64
L 63–72
2021 #11 First Round
Second Round		 #6 Rutgers
#3 Arizona		 W 69–66
L 46–52
2022 #6 First Round #11 Villanova L 57–61

References

  1. ^ "Colors". Brigham Young University Publications and Graphics. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  2. ^ "Then and Now". Y Magazine. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Year-by-Year and Coaching Records". BYU. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  4. ^ "BYU women make it to NCAA 'Sweet 16'". Church News. March 30, 2002. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  5. ^ "Cincinnati News, Sports and Things to Do | Cincinnati Enquirer". The Enquirer. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  6. ^ "Big 12 Conference Adds Four New Members". Big 12. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  7. ^ "Women's Basketball Total Appearances in the AP Poll". College Poll Archive. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  8. ^ "Re-ranking all 16 Big 12 basketball arenas from worst to first". USA Today. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
  9. ^ Collett, Norma. "BYU basketball: Tina Gunn Robison to be inducted into the 2017 WCC Hall of Honor Class". Deseret News. Retrieved December 13, 2025.
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