Northwestern University Athletics
Beth Combs Named Wildcats' Head Coach
4/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 13, 2004
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern University athletics director Mark Murphy has announced that Beth Combs, the head women's basketball coach at Colgate University the past three years, has been named the Wildcats' new head coach, replacing June Olkowski. Last month, Murphy announced that he would not renew Olkowski's contract and would begin a national search for a new head coach.
Combs becomes the fifth mentor to guide Northwestern's women's basketball program. In just her third year at Colgate, she led the Raiders to their first Patriot League championship and their first NCAA tournament berth.
"I am very pleased that Beth will be our next head coach," said Murphy, who hired Combs at Colgate and served as her athletic director her first two years there. "She did an excellent job in turning around Colgate's program in a short period of time. Beth is a great fit for Northwestern, given her ties to Illinois and the Big Ten, as well as the fact that she's had success at a school with high academic standards."
"I'm honored to have been named Northwestern's head coach," said Combs. "Northwestern offers a tremendous opportunity for the student-athlete. It is truly a place where one can excel on the court and in the classroom. The combination of Northwestern's academic reputation, combined with Big Ten athletics, makes this one of the premier institutions in the nation."
Combs, a native of Decatur, Ill., attended the University of Illinois and played basketball for the Fighting Illini. She earned a psychology degree in 1992.
After graduating from Illinois, Combs spent her next four years as an assistant basketball coach at St. Joseph-Ogden High School in central Illinois. She also served as the head volleyball coach at Champaign Centennial High School in 1992 and '93.
In 1995, Combs made the jump to the college ranks, serving as a graduate assistant at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill. The following year, she was hired as a full-time assistant coach, a position she held for two years.
In 1998, Combs moved to Colgate as an assistant coach in charge of recruiting and scouting. She also ran the women's basketball strength and conditioning program and was responsible for the program's compliance issues. In 2001-02, Combs was named the interim head coach and all she did was earn Patriot League Coach of the Year honors as the Raiders won 14 games (14-17), the most wins in over a decade.
The following year, Murphy removed the interim tag and following an injury-riddled 9-18 season in 2002-03, Combs guided the Raiders to their most successful season in school history this past year. Colgate finished 21-10, which included 10 wins in the Patriot League. For the second time in three years, Combs was named the conference's Coach of the Year. She concluded her Colgate career with a 44-45 overall record.
The Raiders, who fell 77-54 to national finalist Tennessee in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, led all women's basketball programs in this year's NCAA field with a 100 percent graduation rate.
Combs captured Colgate's Howard Hartman University Coach of the Year Award in 2001-02, her first year as the program's head coach. The honor is awarded annually to the Colgate coach who best represents leadership, spirit, discipline and determination that Hartman, a former head basketball coach at Colgate, exemplified.
She earned her master's degree in sports administration from Eastern Illinois in 1997. Combs, who has served as YES clinician and served on several summer camp staffs, was a member of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball East Regional Advisory Committee.
"I am thankful to Mark Murphy for his belief and confidence in me, and I have no doubt that we will be able to bring Northwestern's women's basketball program back to the highest level achievable," said Combs. "I look forward to the challenge, but am confident in the support Northwestern has shown that will enable us to achieve great success."
Said Murphy: "Beth is a tireless worker, an outstanding recruiter and a resourceful coach-as evidenced by the fact that she led Colgate to a Patriot League championship and the NCAA Tournament despite the fact that Colgate was one of only two schools in the league without scholarships. I am excited about the future of our women's basketball program under Beth's leadership."
BETH SPYCHER COMBS PROFILE
Coaching Experience:
2001-04-Head Coach, Colgate University (Hamilton, N.Y.) (Interim head coach in 2001-02)
** Head Coaching Record: 44-45 (14-17 in 2001-02; 9-18 in 2002-03; 21-10 in 2003-04)
1998-2001-Assistant Coach, Colgate University (Hamilton, N.Y.)
1996-98-Assistant Coach, Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, Ill.)
1995-96-Graduate Assistant Coach, Eastern Illinois University (Charleston, Ill.)
1991-95-Assistant Coach, St. Joseph-Ogden High School (St. Joseph, Ill.)
1992-94-Head Volleyball Coach, Champaign Centennial High School (Champaign, Ill.)
Education:
1992-Bachelor's Degree in Psychology, University of Illinois
1997-Master's Degree in Sports Administration, Eastern Illinois University
