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When head coach Beth Dunkenberger began her tenure at Western Carolina University, she had one goal in mind - to win. And win, she has.
The Catamounts came up with huge wins during the 2002-03 season, including a 73-69 victory over Chattanooga on the road, a 58-56 victory over Furman at home, sweeping College of Charleston and clinching second place in the SoCon heading into the league tournament with a 64-54 win over UNC Greensboro. Dunkenberger’s efforts earned her Southern Conference Coach of the Year honors last year as the Catamounts finished the season with a 21-7 record, the program’s best showing since 1977-78, the season WCU became a Division I program. It was the first time a WCU women’s basketball coach had received the recognition.
In just three years at the helm, her teams have produced two consecutive winning seasons and an overall record of 51-33. In Dunkenberger’s first season (2000-01), the Cats posted a 13-15 record, marking the program’s most wins in 12 seasons. She backed that up with a 17-11 scoresheet the following year. Dunkenberger reached 50 wins faster than any other head coach in the program’s history.
Director of Athletics Jeff Compher announced last fall that the University’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a two-year contract extension for Dunkenberger through the 2005-06 season.
“This is not just a reward for Beth doing a good job, but our attempt to keep good coaches here,” Compher said. “We want Western to be a coaching destination. Obviously what Beth has done here is special. In a very short time, she has brought this program to be a Southern Conference contender. We need to keep Beth, as well as all of the coaches of her caliber, here as a result of their efforts.”
Not only have her teams been successful, but her student-athletes themselves have garnered several awards and recognition in the last three years. During the 2002-03 season, junior Tiffany Hamm was voted the league’s Player of the Year by the SoCon Sports Media Association after leading the Catamounts and ranking fifth in the SoCon in points per game. Hamm also earned All-Conference honors along with teammate Jennifer Gardner, and was twice named a SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week, while Kala Greene graced the All-Freshman team in 2003. It was the third consecutive year a WCU athlete was represented on the all-rookie list.
In addition to last year’s athletic honors, Yoneko Allen was named to the Verizon Academic All-District III first team. She was also an Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sports Scholar along with teammate Christy Blackwell. Laura Echols racked up quite a number of honors in her last two seasons under Dunkenberger’s tutelage. Echols was named to the 2001 and 2002 Verizon Academic All-District III teams, the 2001 and 2002 All-Conference teams and a SoCon Player of the Week three times. She also ranked 30th nationally in 2002 in points per game (19.1) and ranked as a top performer in six conference categories as well as 11 categories at WCU.
Other Catamounts receiving honors under Dunkenberger’s guidance include 2001 Conference Freshman of the Year Tiffany Hamm, who was the SoCon rookie leading scorer that year with 12.0 ppg; Ki-Ki Glass, who was named to the 2002 SoCon All-Freshman team; Jennifer Gardner, who was named a SoCon Player of the Week in 2002; and Yoneko Allen, who was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District III second team, an Arthur Ashe, Jr., Sports Scholar and Western Carolina’s 2002 Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Dunkenberger is quick to note that a championship team is made up of championship people. Her perspective regarding recruiting emphasizes not only finding talented student-athletes, but also recruiting quality people as well. She points out that one or two star players will not bring home a championship trophy, rather depth and a team full of unselfish players will have the Catamounts climbing a ladder to cut down the championship net.
Dunkenberger’s emphasis on the importance of academics is easily recognized. “That same competitive nature our team has on the court is evidenced in the classroom as well,” stated Dunkenberger. Her 2000-01 squad finished in the top 25 in the nation for women’s basketball programs academically, ranking sixth with an overall team GPA of 3.313. “Our future goals include being ranked not only in the top 25 for academics, but in basketball as well,” said Dunkenberger. Dunkenberger was formally introduced as WCU’s head women’s basketball coach on Wednesday, April 19, 2000. The former assistant coach at the University of Florida served as recruiting coordinator during her last season with the Lady Gators. Her other responsibilities included scouting, scheduling, camp director, and the development of both post and guard players.
During Dunkenberger’s three-year tenure as an assistant coach at the University of Florida, she helped the Gators to a 63-36 overall record. The Lady Gators advanced to post-season play all three years with the 1997-98 team making an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. While in Gainesville, Dunkenberger had the opportunity to help coach five players who are currently, or were previously, on rosters in the WNBA. Murriel Page received Kodak All-America honors and was drafted in the first round by the Washington Mystics where she has been a five-year starter. Tonya Messaline of the Seattle Storm just completed her third year in the league and Tamara Stocks competed with Washington as well during the 2000 season. Guard Tiffany Travis played for the Charlotte Sting for one season and spent the 2001 season on the injured reserve roster. Guard Brandi McCain spent the 2002 season with the Cleveland Rockers.
Prior to her appointment at Florida, Dunkenberger was an assistant at Virginia Tech where she helped lead the Hokies to the 1994 and 1995 NCAA Tournament, the first two appearances in school history. She not only helped lead Tech to two NCAA Tournaments, but also to the Metro Conference Tournament Championship in 1994 and the Metro Conference Regular Season Championship in 1995. Dunkenberger was responsible for signing the first Parade All-American in the school’s history.
“Beth is one of the brightest coaches in the game. She has an understanding of the game, is a tireless worker, and knows how to get the job done,” said former Virginia Tech head coach Carol Alfano. “Wherever Beth is, success seems to follow. Beth will have people stand up and take notice of her.”
Dunkenberger was valedictorian at Shawsville High School and graduated cum laude from Randolph-Macon College with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics in 1988. She was named Academic All-District as well as All-Conference. She continued her education by earning a Master of Science degree in Sport Management at Virginia Tech in 1990. Beth also served as the commencement speaker at both her high school and her undergraduate graduation ceremonies. A native of Shawsville, Va., she is the daughter of Tom and Rebecca Dunkenberger.
