Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball

Last updated
Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball
Basketball current event.svg 2024–25 Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball team
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University Western Illinois University
Athletic directorPaul Bubb
Head coach JD Gravina (14th season)
Conference Ohio Valley Conference
Location Macomb, Illinois
Arena Western Hall
(capacity: 5,139)
Nickname Leathernecks
Student sectionPurple Platoon
ColorsPurple and gold [1]
   
Uniforms
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Home
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Away


NCAA tournament appearances
1995, 2017
Conference tournament champions
Mid-Cont: 1995
Summit: 2017
Conference regular season champions
Mid-Cont: 1995, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
Summit: 2017

The Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball team represents Western Illinois University of Macomb, Illinois, in NCAA Division I women's college basketball competition. The school's team currently competes in the Ohio Valley Conference. [2] The Leathernecks became a member of the Ohio Valley Conference on July 1, 2023. [3]

Contents

History

In their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1995, they lost to North Carolina 89–48. They made appearances in the WNIT in 2003 and 2006 along with an appearance in the WBI in 2016. [4]

Western Illinois were 2016–17 Summit League Champions. [5]

March 28 is WIU Leatherneck Women's Basketball Day in Macomb, Illinois. [6] The team was recognized for their 2016–2017 record where they finished 26–7 in the Summit League and advancing to the NCAA tournament.

2017 Summit League Tournament

Western Illinois was the Number 1 seed in the tournament. They won the Summit League Tournament on March 7, 2017, with a 77–69 overtime win defeating IUPUI. [7] The win sends the Leatherneck's to the NCAA Tournament, their first appearance since 1995. The win was WIU's 11th consecutive of the season, tying the team record set in 1995.

Both Morgan Blumer and Emily Clemens were named to the All-Tournament League, with Clemens being named tournament MVP.

NCAA tournament results

YearSeedRoundOpponentResult
1995 #14First Round#3 North CarolinaL 48−89
2017 #14First Round#3 Florida StateL 66−87

Season–by–season results

Statistics overview
SeasonCoachOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Bea Yeager (No Conference)(1971–1982)
1971–72Bea Yeager 10–8——
1972–73Bea Yeager 11–7——
1973–74Bea Yeager 13–8——
1974–75Bea Yeager 6–11——
1975–76Bea Yeager 8–10——
1976–77Bea Yeager 11–11——
1977–78Bea Yeager 14–8——
1978–79Bea Yeager 14–7——
1979–80Bea Yeager 13–11——
1980–81Bea Yeager 13–12——
1981–82Bea Yeager 7–21——
Bea Yeager:121–115 (.513)–
Teresa Check (Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference)(1982–1986)
1982–83Teresa Check 5–221—710th
1983–84Teresa Check 8–195—138th
1984–85Teresa Check 6–213—159th
1985–86Teresa Check 4–231—1710th
Bea Yeager:23–85 (.213)10–52 (.161)
Kathy Markey (Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference)(1986–1987)
1986–87Kathy Markey 5–213—1510th
Kathy Markey:5–21 (.192)3–15 (.167)
Kelly Hill (Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference)(1987–1992)
1987–88Kelly Hill 4–222—1610th
1988–89Kelly Hill 9–187—86th
1989–90Kelly Hill 7–204—149th
1990–91Kelly Hill 11–166—128th
1991–92Kelly Hill 9–185—138th
Kelly Hill:45–115 (.281)24–63 (.276)
Regina Miller (Mid-Continent Conference)(1992–1998)
1992–93Regina Miller 3–211—159th
1993–94Regina Miller 15–1311—73rd
1994–95Regina Miller 17–1214—41st NCAA First Round
1995–96Regina Miller 10–178—108th
1996–97Regina Miller 7–204—127th
1997–98Regina Miller 8–185—117th
Regina Miller:60–101 (.373)43–59 (.422)
Leslie Crane (Mid-Continent Conference/Summit League)(1998–2011)
1998–99Leslie Crane 7–194—77th
1999–00Leslie Crane 18–1111—53rd
2000–01Leslie Crane 16–1211—63rd
2001–02Leslie Crane 16–1211—63rd
2002–03Leslie Crane 21–912—21st WNIT First Round
2003–04Leslie Crane 20–919—91st
2004–05Leslie Crane 19–913—31st
2005–06Leslie Crane 23–713—31st WNIT First Round
2006–07Leslie Crane 10–196—85th
2007–08Leslie Crane 14–1612—6T–2nd
2008–09Leslie Crane 9–217—11T–6th
2009–10Leslie Crane 11–206—127th
2010–11Leslie Crane 8–216—128th
Leslie Crane:192–185 (.509)122–84 (.592)
J. D. Gravina (Summit League)(2011–2023)
2011–12J. D. Gravina 12–197—11T–6th
2012–13J. D. Gravina 14–167—95th
2013–14J. D. Gravina 14–166—85th
2014–15J. D. Gravina 17–139—7T–3rd
2015–16 J. D. Gravina 16–168—85th WBI Quarterfinals
2016–17 J. D. Gravina 26–713—31st NCAA First Round
2017–18J. D. Gravina 22–1010—43rd WNIT First Round
2018–19 J. D. Gravina 12–188—85th
2019–20J. D. Gravina 15–159—7T–3rd
2020–21J. D. Gravina 8–166—85th
2021–22J. D. Gravina 14–155—137th
2022–23J. D. Gravina 10–205—139th
J. D. Gravina (Ohio Valley Conference)(2023–present)
2023–24J. D. Gravina
J. D. Gravina:180–181 (.499)70–58 (.547)
Total:626–803 (.438)

      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

Source: [8]

Notable former players

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Illinois Leathernecks football</span> Intercollegiate American football team

The Western Illinois Leathernecks football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Western Illinois University located in Macomb, Illinois. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and are members of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC). The school's first football team was fielded in 1902. The team plays its home games at the 16,368 seat Hanson Field. The Leathernecks are playing one final MVFC campaign in the fall of 2023 before joining the football alliance between the Big South Conference and Western's primary home of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in 2024.

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The 2017–18 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team represented Western Illinois University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Leathernecks, led by fourth-year head coach Billy Wright, played their home games at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois as members of the Summit League. They finished the season 12–16, 3–11 in Summit League play to finish in last place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament to South Dakota State.

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The 2019–20 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team represented Western Illinois University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Leathernecks, led by sixth-year head coach Billy Wright, played their home games at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois, as members of the Summit League. They finished the season 5–21, 2–14 in Summit League play to finish in last place. They failed to qualify for the Summit League tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2021–22 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team represented Western Illinois University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Leathernecks, led by second-year head coach Rob Jeter, played their home games at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois, as members of the Summit League. They finished the regular season 16–15, 7–11 in Summit League play, to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 6 seed in the Summit League tournament, they lost to Oral Roberts in the quarterfinals. They received an invitation to The Basketball Classic postseason tournament, formerly known as the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

The 2007 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Gateway Football Conference during the 2007 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by ninth-year head coach Don Patterson and played their home games at Hanson Field in Macomb, Illinois. The Leathernecks finished the season with a 6–5 record overall and a 3–3 record in conference play, tying for third place in the Gateway.

The 2008 Western Illinois Leathernecks football team represented Western Illinois University as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) in the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by tenth-year head coach Don Patterson and acting head coach Mark Hendrickson, who coached the team in its first seven games while Patterson underwent cancer treatment. The team played their home games at Hanson Field in Macomb, Illinois. The Leathernecks finished the season with a 6–5 record overall and a 4–4 record in conference play, tying for fourth place in the MVFC.

The 2022–23 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team represented Western Illinois University in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Leathernecks, led by third-year head coach Rob Jeter, played their home games at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois, as members of the Summit League. they finished the season 16–14, 9–9 in Summit League play, to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 4 seed in the Summit League tournament, they lost to St. Thomas in the quarterfinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011–12 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2011–12 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team represented Western Illinois University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Leathernecks, led by head coach Jim Molinari, played their home games at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois, as members of the Summit League. After finishing 4th in the Summit during the regular season, the Leathernecks made a run to the championship game of the Summit League tournament, where they were defeated by South Dakota State.

The 2023–24 Western Illinois Leathernecks men's basketball team represents Western Illinois University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Leathernecks, led by first-year head coach Chad Boudreau, play their home games at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois as first-year members of the Ohio Valley Conference.

The 2023–24 Western Illinois Leathernecks women's basketball team represented Western Illinois University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Leathernecks, who were led by 13th-year head coach JD Gravina, played their home games at Western Hall in Macomb, Illinois, as first-year members of the Ohio Valley Conference.

References

  1. ↑ Western Illinois Leathernecks Athletics 2017–18 Branding & Style Guidelines (PDF). July 11, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Western Illinois Athletics". goleathernecks.com.
  3. ↑ "Western Illinois University to Join the OVC in 2023-24" (Press release). Ohio Valley Conference. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Western Illinois Athletics" (PDF). goleathernecks.com.
  5. ↑ "2016–17 Women's Basketball Standings". The Summit League. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  6. ↑ "Mayor Proclaims March 28 WIU Leatherneck Women's Basketball Day – University Relations – Western Illinois University". www.wiu.edu. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
  7. ↑ "Western Illinois Wins #SummitWBB Championship". The Summit League. 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  8. ↑ "Leatherneck Women's Basketball Record Book" (PDF). Western Illinois University. Retrieved April 7, 2023.


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