Winning Tradition
The Crusader women’s basketball program has experienced a great deal of success on the court and in the classroom over the past 40 years. Among those successes are:
- Five 20-win seasons
- Two NCAA Tournament appearances (2003, 2004)
- A quarterfinal run in the WNIT (2002)
- Two conference regular season and two conference tournament championships
- One Conference Player of the Year
- Two Conference Tournament Most Valuable Players
- Three Conference Coaches of the Year
- 10 First Team All-Conference selections
Since the early 1970s, the Crusaders women’s basketball team has made several postseason appearances, including three straights postseason trips from 2001-02 to 2003-04. Led by future WNBA player Marlous Nieuwveen, the Crusaders advanced to the third round of the WNIT after wins against Michigan and Ball State. Valpo finished with a program-best 26-7. In 2002-03, the Crusaders played Purdue in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The following year, Valpo hooked up with Kansas State in the NCAA opening round.
