ATLANTA—South Dakota women's basketball head coach Dawn Plitzuweit was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Werner Ladder Naismith Women's Coach of the Year award announced Wednesday.
 
Plitzuweit has taken South Dakota women's basketball to a new level this season. The Coyotes (27-2) set a program record for regular season victories, ran the table in The Summit League for the second time in three years and climbed to No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. South Dakota is also No. 17 this week in the Associated Press poll.
 
The two-time Summit League Coach of the Year, Plitzuweit was the fastest Summit League coach to 100 wins by reaching the mark in 124 games. She's the only coach in South Dakota history with four-straight 20-win seasons. She sits at the top of the Summit League's winning percentage for both overall record (.817) and record in league play (.887).
 
Nine of the 10 semifinalists are vying for their first Naismith Women's Coach of the Year honor. Plitzuweit is one of two mid-major coaches on the list, joined by Gonzaga's Lisa Fortier.
 
The list of 10 semifinalists will be narrowed to four finalists on March 19. If Plitzuweit was named one of those four finalists, a fan vote opens March 20 to allow fans to support their favorite women's college coach. The fan vote counts for five percent of the overall final vote. The 2020 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year will be announced on April 4.
 
 

NAME	SCHOOL	CONFERENCE
Adia Barnes	Arizona	Pac-12
Lisa Fortier	Gonzaga	WCC
Nell Fortner	Georgia Tech	ACC
Kelly Graves	Oregon	Pac-12
Joe McKeown	Northwestern	Big Ten
Wes Moore	North Carolina State	ACC
Kim Mulkey	Baylor	Big 12
Dawn Plitzuweit	South Dakota	Summit League
Dawn Staley	South Carolina	SEC
Jeff Walz	Louisville	ACC