April 1, 2022
DAWN PLITZUWEIT WINS 2022 AWARD
BOSTON, MA -- South Dakota coach Dawn Plitzuweit is the recipient of the 2022 Kay Yow Award, presented annually to the Division I women’s head college basketball coach who embodies a winning spirit while displaying great character, on and off the court.
Plitzuweit led the Coyotes to a 29-6 record and NCAA tournament Sweet 16 appearance this season. It was the program’s third NCAA appearance in the last three tournaments and she’s produced a 158-35 overall record and 83-10 Summit League mark during six seasons at the school.
Known as a tireless worker possessing a keen eye for details, Plitzuweit has turned South Dakota into one of the nation’s best defensive teams. The Coyotes, who were 17-1 in the Summit, held opponents to 36 percent shooting and 53 points per game this season, limiting the high-powered Michigan Wolverines to 52 points in the NCAA tournament.
Prior to arriving at South Dakota, Plitzuweit was a successful coach at Grand Valley State and Northern Kentucky
College Insider pays tribute to one of the true icons of women’s college basketball with 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.
