Tuesday, March 22, 2016
by Alaska Anchorage Sports Information Department

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Alaska Anchorage’s Ryan McCarthy has been selected the NCAA Div. II West Region Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year for the second straight season as the WBCA announced its 2015-16 national awards Monday evening.

In his fourth season with the Seawolves, McCarthy has led his squad to 36-2 record and an NCAA Elite Eight berth, along with its second straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles. Under his leadership, UAA leads the nation in steals per game for the third straight season, along with No. 1 national ranks in assists per game (20.0 apg) and turnovers forced per game (24.8).

With a 65-4 record over the past two seasons, McCarthy’s Seawolves have racked up the most wins in D-II women’s basketball and been ranked in the WBCA’s top 10 for all but one week during that span, including eight weeks at No. 1.

Featuring perhaps the most balanced lineup in the nation, the 4th-ranked Seawolves have won their games by more than 26 points per contest this year, including blowouts of Div. I Pepperdine, GNAC runner-up Western Washington and California Collegiate Athletic Association co-champions UC San Diego and Cal State Dominguez Hills.

Already with a school record for victories, the Seawolves return to action Tuesday night at 3 p.m. ADT in the national quarterfinals against Francis Marion in Sioux Falls, S.D.

2015-16 WBCA NCAA Div. II Region Coaches of the Year
Region 1 – Kristen Hutchison, American International
Region 2 – AnnMarie Gilbert, Virginia Union
Region 3 – Corey Fox, Limestone
Region 4 – Kristen Gillespie, Lewis
Region 5 – Mark Campbell, Union
Region 6 – Steve Gomez, Lubbock Christian*
Region 7 – Scott Ballard, Winona State
Region 8 – Ryan McCarthy, Alaska Anchorage
*Ron Lenz NCAA Div. II National Coach of the Year