GLENVILLE, W.Va. – The historic Kim Stephens' Era has ended at Glenville State University. Glenville State President Dr. Mark Manchin announced on Monday that Stephens has accepted the head coaching job at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va.
When asked about her tenure, Manchin stated, "Coach Stephens has been an honor to work with. She has brought a great deal of honor and prestige to our university. Our institution has a great relationship with Marshall, and we wish Kim the best with this move."
This ended a dominant seven-year reign she enjoyed on the Lady Pioneer bench. Consider these incredible numbers;
An overall record of 191-24.
National Champions in 2022.
An 86-2 record in the Waco Center.
A record of 132-12 in Mountain East Conference play.
Seven NCAA Tournament Appearances.
Six MEC League titles.
Four MEC Tournament titles.
In piling up this incredible record, Stephens was named the National Coach of the Year in 2022, was named the Regional Coach of the Year twice, MEC Women's Sports Coach of the Year, MEC Coach of the Year four times, along with receiving the Furfari Award twice.
Stephens, in her tenure as coach, set many program firsts. She became the first coach in school history to have multiple back-to-back thirty-win seasons, win consecutive regional titles, and make the NCAA Final Four in consecutive seasons.
Along the way she coached four All-Americans, nine First-Team All-MEC players, six Second-Team, and four Honorable Mention players. In four of her seven seasons, a Lady Pioneer was named MEC Player of the Year; Paris McLeod (twice), Re'Shawna Stone, and Breanna Campbell. Stone was also named the Division II National Player of the year in 2022 and Freshman of the Year in 2019.
"I love Glenville, part of my heart will always be here. I have had some of the best moments of my life here and have met the most wonderful people. I am so thankful to this community, our athletic department and loyal, yet, rowdy fans. I've always preached to all seven teams to leave places better than you found it - the locker rooms, buses, and every room you walk into. I hope I've done that here," Stephens said. "Mostly, I want to thank every player who's worn a Glenville jersey for me, without YOU I wouldn't have this opportunity. Thank you for your hard work and your trust. I wouldn't be where I am today without you. And I want to thank the fans for filling the stands and making us feel special. I hope to keep making you proud in Huntington."
"I cannot begin to thank Coach Stephens enough for the job she did here at our alma mater," Glenville State Athletic Director Jesse Skiles said. "She is a very driven individual who pushed her student-athletes hard to achieve excellence. She was great to work with…we wish her the very best at Marshall, and also in this exciting next chapter of her life. Her teams made an incredible and historic mark on this institution and this community."
Stephens played at Glenville from 2007-11. Following her playing career, she had coaching stops at Ohio Valley and Sacramento State before returning to her alma mater as head coach in April of 2016. Stephens takes over a Marshall program that went 17-14 in 2023, and 9-9 in the Sun Belt Conference. She takes over for Coach Tony Kemper, who moved on to Central Arkansas after six seasons on the bench in Huntington. Kemper posted an overall record of 79-90 at Marshall.
