NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State women’s basketball head coach Stephanie Glance was recognized by the Illinois House of Representatives with an official resolution presented by state representative Dan Brady Friday. The resolution congratulated Glance on receiving the Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year Award.
The prestigious award honors a WBCA Division I head coach who has led her team to a successful season during the first year as a head coach. Glance guided the Redbirds to a 24-11 record and into the semifinals of the WNIT for the third-consecutive season. The 24 wins are the fifth-most in Illinois State history and are tied for the most by a first-year head coach in Missouri Valley Conference history, equaling the mark of Creighton’s Jim Flanery in 2002-03.
The Maggie Dixon Rookie Coach of the Year Award is in honor of the late Maggie Dixon, former Army head coach, whose success during her inaugural year at the Army helm was remarkable. The Black Knights won the Patriot League title in 2006 and Dixon was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year after leading Army to the NCAA Tournament for the first time at the NCAA Division I level. Coach Dixon passed away on April 6, 2006, just a few weeks following an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Past recipients of the Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year award include Hofstra’s Krista Kilburn-Steveskey (2007), Louisville’s Jeff Walz (2008), Ball State’s Kelly Packard (2009) and Louisiana Tech’s Teresa Weatherspoon (2010).