COLLEGE PARK, Md., April 2 (UPI) -- Brenda Oldfield, who orchestrated one of the biggest turnarounds in NCAA history in her one season at Minnesota, was named the women's basketball coach at Maryland Tuesday.
Oldfield guided the Golden Gophers to a 14-win improvement and just their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament. After going 8-20 last season, Minnesota went 22-8 this past season to set a school record for victories.
"I an honored to be recognized as the next coach to help lead Maryland women's basketball to be a national-level contender," said Oldfield, who signed a six-year contract at $275,000 per season. "This is a dream and a chance of a lifetime, and I knew it was a special fit."
Oldfield has posted a three-year coaching record of 57-30 (.655), also spending two seasons as the coach at Ball State.
She earned Coach of the Year honors in the Mid-American and Big Ten conferences.
After going 1-15 in the Big Ten in 2000-01, the Golden Gophers tied for second this past season with an 11-5 mark. The 10-win improvement marked the biggest one-year tournament in Big Ten history and the 11 wins were three more than Minnesota totaled in the previous six years combined.
At Ball State, Oldfield led the Cardinals to back-to-back winning seasons for only the second time in school history, going 16-13 and 19-9.
"Coach Oldfield has a superb record of achievement as a head coach in two different Division I conferences," Maryland Athletic Director Deborah Yow said. "She is an overachiever ... a dynamic and determined leader as a coach. Over time, she will
put our program in a position to compete for the national championship."
Oldfield replaces Chris Weller, who announced her retirement last month after 27 seasons at Maryland. Weller posted a 499-286 record, leading the Terrapins to three Final Four appearances and eight Atlantic Coast Conference championships.
