ATLANTA – On Thursday, the Naismith Awards announced that Vanderbilt women’s basketball head coach Shea Ralph was named a semifinalist for the 2025 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year presented by AXIA Time.
It is the first time Ralph has been named a semifinalist for the Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year, as she was previously named to the watch list back in February. Ralph is one of 10 coaches selected as semifinalists, while the fourth-year Vandy coach is one of four SEC women’s basketball head coaches on the list.
Ralph has guided Vanderbilt to a 22-10 overall record this season. It marks the first time since the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons that the Dores posted back-to-back 20-win seasons. She has Vanderbilt in the position to make a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, as the Commodores have been ranked for multiple weeks this season and currently hold a NET ranking of 22.
Vanderbilt women’s basketball has seen a revitalization in four seasons under Ralph’s direction. Last year, she led the Dores back to March Madness for the first time in 10 seasons, where they collected a victory in the First Four Round over Columbia. Ralph is 70-55 through four seasons at Vanderbilt, with one NCAA Tournament and WNIT berth each. The Commodores went 23-10 in 2023-24 to post their first 20-win campaign since 2012-13. She also guided Vandy to six SEC road wins last year, which set a program record for most conference road wins in a single season.
The Commodores find out where they will head for March Madness this Sunday. The 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show airs at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN.
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