Gophers sign Dawn Plitzuweit to contract extension through 2032 season
Unscripted: Dawn Plitzuweit
This week on Unscripted with Dawn Mitchell, University of Minnesota women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit sits down to talk about two seasons leading the Gophers so far. She signed an extension in the offseason to stay with Minnesota through the 2030-31 season.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota is locking in head coach Dawn Plitzuweit for the long haul after a historic run for women’s basketball.
Contract extension approved for Plitzuweit through 2032
What we know:
The University of Minnesota and head coach Dawn Plitzuweit agreed to a contract extension, which was approved by the Board of Regents at their June meeting.
Plitzuweit is now under contract with the Gophers through the 2032 season. Plitzuweit is entering her fourth season with the Gophers in 2026-27. The program has steadily improved, going 69-36 over her first three years.
The Gophers’ recent success
Why you should care:
Last season, Minnesota returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 and made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005. The Gophers also won the 2025 WBIT Championship and played in the 2024 WNIT Championship game.
Minnesota finished last season 24-9 overall and 13-5 in Big Ten play, matching a program record for conference wins. The team hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005, and ended the season ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll, with a No. 9 final NET ranking — third-highest in the Big Ten.
The backstory:
In the 2024-25 season, the Gophers won five straight postseason games, including four on the road, to capture the WBIT title. Tori McKinney, then a freshman, was named WBIT Tournament MVP and joined Amaya Battle on the All-Tournament Team. Minnesota notched its first 25-win season since 2004-05 and earned an AP national ranking for the first time since 2019, entering the poll at No. 24 on Jan. 13, 2025.
Player achievements and academic excellence
By the numbers:
Four student-athletes — Battle, Mara Braun, Grace Grocholski and McKinney — were named to All-Big Ten teams. For the first time in program history, Battle and McKinney made the All-Defensive Team. The Gophers also had four wins against Top 25 teams and two against Top 10 teams, a feat not seen since 2003-04. Last year, nine players earned Academic All-Big Ten honors, and Battle, Braun, Grocholski and McKinney made the CSC Academic All-District Team.
The team’s progress under Plitzuweit
Local perspective:
Plitzuweit’s first season in 2023-24 saw the Gophers finish 20-16 and play for the WNIT Championship. She coached a team with seven returning players from a squad that went 11-19 the year before. Battle and Braun earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention, and Grocholski was a unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team pick.
What we don't know:
Details of the contract extension, including salary and incentives, were not disclosed in the press release.