HOPEWELL, N.J. (October 29, 2025) — Head women's basketball coach Vanessa Blair-Lewis has been named to the 2026 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year
gomason.com
Women's Basketball10/29/2025 11:00:00 AM
"HOPEWELL, N.J. (October 29, 2025) — Head women's basketball coach
Vanessa Blair-Lewis has been named to the 2026 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award Watch List, presented by Her Hoop Stats. This is Blair-Lewis' third selection to the watch list."
"Award Eligibility & Schedule
To be eligible for the award, coaches must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be 'mid-major.' The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC. Additionally, Oregon State and Washington State remain ineligible this season as membership in the Pac-12 Conference evolves. Interim head coaches are eligible, though total games coached were taken into consideration.
The 10-person midseason watch list will be announced in January. The five finalists for the award will be announced in March, with the winner being named around the Final Four. Coaches will be assessed across the entire season, including postseason play. Beyond on-court success, other factors such as recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries, and tactical coaching will also be weighed when assessing each candidate. Inclusion on previous watch lists is not a requirement to be considered for future watch lists."