Kansas State enters its 42nd season of women’s
basketball in the 2009-10 season fresh off the 11th
NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.
The Wildcats tied for the third-highest win total
since the 1999-00 season with a 25-8 overall mark
and a 10-6 record in the Big 12 and concluded the
season ranked 20th in the final USA Today/ESPN
Coaches’ Poll and 21st in the final Associated Press
Poll.
Returning to the Bramlage Coliseum sidelines
for her 14th season is head coach Deb Patterson.
The all-time winningest women’s basketball coach
in school history with a record of 265-146 (.645),
Patterson has guided the program to 22 or more
wins in seven of the last eight seasons and eight
consecutive postseason appearances (six NCAA
Tournaments and two WNITs), which is the longest
current streak by any head coach at K-State.
K-State will look to make its 12th NCAA
Tournament appearance and third straight with the
return of seven letterwinners, including two
starters and an All-Big 12 first team selection from
the 2008-09 squad. The Wildcats also added three
newcomers to the backcourt to help replace the
graduation of honorable mention AP All-American
and two-time first team All-Big 12 selection, Shalee
Lehning.
K-State (25-8, 10-6 Big 12) concluded its
41st season of women’s basketball with the
11th NCAA Tournament appearance in school
history and the 8th straight postseason appearance,
which is the longest current streak of
postseason visits for any athletic program at
Kansas State. K-State ended the season ranked
in both polls for the second straight season, finishing
at No.21 in the Associated Press poll and
No. 20 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ poll.
The Wildcats’ 25 wins were the third-highest
total since the 1999-00 season. The Wildcats
earned the No. 5 seed in the Raleigh region of
the 2009 NCAA Tournament.
Included in the third-highest win total since
1999-00, was a school record for road wins in a
season with 10. The Wildcats also finished with a
school record 14-1 mark against non-conference
opponents.
K-State saw three players named to the All-
Big 12 team, as senior guard Shalee Lehning
and junior forward Ashley Sweat earned first
team citations while senior forward Marlies
Gipson was named to the second team.
In addition to the All-Big 12 first team honor,
Lehning received recognition for a number of
national honors that included: an AP All-
America honorable mention citation, Lowe’s All-
Senior All-America first team selection, a Wade
Trophy candidate, a Naismith Trophy candidate,
a Wooden Award finalist, a Lieberman Award
finalist, a WBCA Region V finalist, a State
Farm/WBCA All-America finalist and a Lowe’s
Senior CLASS Award finalist.
K-State set a school record and tied a Big 12
record with eight student-athletes earning
Academic All-Big 12 first team honors. Lehning
captured CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic
All-America third team honors and was named
to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine All-Region VII
first team. Also on the CoSIDA/ESPN the
Magazine All-Region VII second team were
Sweat and Gipson. K-State also garnered a
Rookie of the Week honor for the week of Feb.
16, 2009 , as Jalana Childs earned the distinction.
