THE KAY YOW AWARD

2012 Kay Yow Award

April 9, 2012
 
 
KARL SMESKO WINS THE 2012 KAY YOW AWARD
 
BOSTON (MA) -- After leading his team to a 29-3 record, Florida Gulf Coast's Karl Smesko is the recipient of the 2012 Kay Yow award.
 
FGCU had one of the most historic season in its Division I history, advancing to the NCAA Tournament and earning a No. 12 seed in the Raleigh Region. Led by three-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year Karl Smesko, FGCU finished with a 29-3 overall record that included a league-first 18-0 mark in the A-Sun.
 
The Eagles verified the conference’s third-ever unbeaten regular season by cruising through the Atlantic Sun Tournament, taking the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with a convincing 67-39 win over second-seeded and 20-game winner Stetson. The Green and Blue, with their seven trifectas vs. St. Bonaventure in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, set the NCAA record for three-pointers in a season (342).
 
The Kay Yow Award was established last year to honor the Division I women's head coach who embodies not only a winning spirit but who also displays great character both on and off the court.
 
Yow was a coaching legend who led NC State to 737 wins during her 34 seasons at the school. She was wildly successful in every forum in which she coached, leading gold medal winners at the 1981 World University Games, the 1986 Goodwill Games, 1986 World Championship Games and the 1988 Olympic Games

CollegeInsider.com pays tribute to one of the true icons of women’s college basketball with the the Kay Yow Award, which is presented annually to the Division I women’s head coach who embodies a winning spirit while displaying great character, on and off the court.
 
Yow, who lost a long battle with cancer in 2009, became the sixth head coach in the history of Division I women’s basketball to reach the 700-win plateau, finishing with a sterling record of 737–344 in her 34 seasons at NC State. She was the first women’s coach in ACC history to eclipse 600 wins at the same school and directed NC State to 19 top-three finishes in the ACC standings. Her 1997-98 squad advanced all the way to the Final Four in Kansas City.
 
She was wildly successful in every forum in which she coached, leading gold medal winners at the 1981 World University Games, the 1986 Goodwill Games, 1986 World Championship Games and the 1988 Olympic Games. As an assistant, Yow was on the Olympic gold medal winning 1984 coaching staff in Los Angeles. In addition, she was an assistant on the gold medal-winning teams at the 1979 World University Games, the 1983 Pan American Games and the 1984 R. Williams Jones Cup.
 
The recipient of the 2023-24 award will be announced in April.

2016: Brian Boyer, Arkansas State
2015: Tricia Fabbri, Quinnipiac
2014: David Six, Hampton
2013: Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, Albany
2012: Karl Smesko, FGCU
2011: Matt Bollant, Green Bay
2010: Connie Yori, Nebraska

The Kay Yow award is presented annually to the top head coach in women's division I college basketball, who embodies a winning spirit while displaying great character on and off the court.
 
The 10-member voting committee consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.

The award recipient is announced annually in late March. 

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