Illinois Wesleyan University Women's Basketball

Mia Smith is in her 28th season as head women’s basketball coach at Illinois Wesleyan University in 2025-26.  The all-time victories leader for women’s basketball at Illinois Wesleyan, Smith led her team to the NCAA Division III championship in the 2011-12 campaign, was chosen as the 2012 RUSSELL ATHLETIC/Women's Basketball Coaches Association "National Coach of the Year" for Division III and was named the 2012 Schelde North America/Women's DIII News "Coach of the Year." In 2018, Smith was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a coach, and the 2012 national championship squad was inducted in the "Team" category. More recently, Smith was inducted into the Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Athletics Hall of Fame for her standout career as a two-sport athlete on the basketball and softball teams. In her 27 seasons, Smith has coached the Titans to a record of 525-209 (.706 winning percentage) and a 300-101 record (.734 percentage) in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin record with 11 conference championships (2003, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024, 2025). She has also coached teams into the NCAA Division III tournament 14 times (2002, six straight from 2007-12, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, and 2025) with the championship in 2012 and a fourth-place national finish in 2011. Smith has been the CCIW’s “Coach of the Year” six times (2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 2016, 2018, 2025), has been the Russell Athletic/WBCA Regional Coach of the Year honor in 2009, 2010 and 2012 and was the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Division III “Coach of the Year” in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. She was named the D3hoops.com Region 8 Coach of the Year in 2025. Smith has coached 13 All-Americans (Claire Sheehan and Christina Solari in 2009; Christina Solari; Hope Schulte in 2010; Olivia Lett in 2012; Molly McGraw in 2017 and 2018; Rebekah Ehresman in 2018; Maddie Merritt in 2019, Kendall Sosa in 2020 & 2021, Lauren Huber in 2024 & 2025), 71 all-conference selections and six league “Most Outstanding Players” (Katie Cantrell, 2003; Heidi Harnisch, 2006; Christina Solari, 2009; Olivia Lett, 2012; Rebekah Ehresman, 2018; Kendall Sosa, 2021). Lett was also named as the 2012 D3hoops.com “Player of the Year” and Sosa was the WBCA & D3hoops.com Player of the Year in 2021. Prior to coming to IWU in 1998, Smith coached (since 1994) volleyball and softball at Division III Monmouth College (Illinois), where her volleyball teams were 55-69 in four seasons and her softball teams were 61-54. Smith coached basketball and two other sports at Carrollton High School in west central Illinois from 1986 to 1994. Her basketball mark was 156-55 with three consecutive regional and sectional titles and she was twice named IBCA regional “Coach of the Year.” Her 1992 team finished 28-3 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class A state tournament, and her 1993 and 1994 teams both lost in the super-sectional round. In volleyball, Smith’s Carrollton teams were 127-69 with five straight regional titles and her softball teams were 97-54 with three regional championships and two league championships. A native of Farina, Ill., and graduate of LaGrove High School, Smith earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, where she was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and softball. She was the basketball team captain for three seasons and earned “Defensive Player of the Year” honors four times. She was named to the 1983 Dial Classic all-tournament team. A Dean’s List student, she was an SIUE “Scholar-Athlete” and the school’s “Sportsmanship Award” winner in 1986. Smith also teaches classes in the IWU physical education department.  

Brian Ehresman enters his fifth season as an assistant coach at Illinois Wesleyan in 2025-26. A relentless recruiter and Mia Smith's top assistant, he was named to the WBCA 30 Under 30 class in 2024. In Ehresman's time on staff, the Titans have posted a cumulative record of 87-28 with a 53-11 conference mark. IWU has won three College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Regular Season Championships, has claimed the league tournament title once, and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. In all, 13 Titans have been named to the All-CCIW teams, while Lauren Huber reeled in All-American honors from both D3hoops.com and the WBCA.  Prior to IWU, he spent four seasons on the Illinois State women's basketball staff. He is the brother of former IWU standout and assistant coach Rebekah Ehresman (Mounce).  At ISU, Ehresman spent two years as a graduate assistant and two more as the Redbirds' video coordinator. During his stint at Illinois State, which began in 2017, Ehresman assisted in film breakdown, scouting, on-campus recruiting efforts, and organized and managed scout team players. Before his four-year stop at Illinois State, Ehresman both studied and played basketball at Greenville University. He was a four-year letter winner, a three-year starter and a three-year captain. He led Greenville to back-to-back regular season St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Championships in 2016 and 2017, and was on named to the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship team in 2017.  Ehresman led the team in assists per game in 2015 with 4.0 dimes a game, and was looking to do the same in the 2016 season, but an unfortunate injury cut his season short.  He then redshirted his senior season, and played while he pursued his masters at Greenville in 2017.  In his final season for the Panthers, Ehresman was also a substitute teacher in the Greenville Public School system.  Ehresman also succeeded academically during his time at Greenville. He was awarded the John Strahl Award, which is given to the top senior in the Sports and Kinesiology department. He was also named a Greenville University Scholar, and was named to the SLIAC Academic All-Conference Team three times. Hailing from Gridley, Ill., Ehresman grew up surrounded by basketball. His mother, Beth, is in the Athletics Hall of Fame at Illinois State. His late father, Barry, played baseball in college, and his younger sister, Rebekah was an All-American basketball player at Illinois Wesleyan. His other younger sister Jen recently graduated from Illinois State. Ehresman earned his bachelor's degree in sports management and a master's degree in business management from Greenville. He also holds a master's in psychology of sport and physical activity from Illinois State.  

Chad Cusac joined the Illinois Wesleyan women's basketball staff prior to the 2009-10 season. Cusac has served as an assistant coach for a number of local teams and schools, including the 2005 Central Catholic girls basketball team that finished 27-3 and won the Illinois High School Association Class A regional and sectional tournament championships before falling in the supersectional round.  A 1994 graduate of Culver Stockton College (Mo.) where he played baseball, Cusac has been a firefighter in the City of Bloomington since 1996 and has currently attained the rank of fire engineer.  

Kate Bullman joined the Titan women's basketball staff in August of 2024 and enters her second season on Mia Smith's staff in 2025-26. A four-year letterwinner at ISU, Bullman played in all 124 games during her time as a Redbird. She was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Team selection and became the first player in program history to reject 50+ shots in three straight seasons. She graduated ranked second in Illinois State history with 191 career blocks, while her 711 career rebounds are eighth-most in program laurels. Bullman’s play in the post was pivotal in a strong four-year stretch for the Redbirds, as Illinois State posted back-to-back 20-win seasons and made four consecutive postseason appearances.  A native of Grayslake, Ill., Bullman was a three-time Daily Herald Lake County All-Area selection for Grayslake Central High School. Bullman was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in the fall of 2025. She was recognized as captain of the 2020 All-Area team in a season that saw her average 19 points and 10 rebounds per game. She led Grayslake Central to a school-record-tying 30 wins as well as the program’s third sectional championship during the 2019-20 season in school history. She graduated as Grayslake Central’s all-time leader in rebounds and blocks, while ranking top-five all-time in points, steals, and assists. Bullman helped guide the Rams to four straight North Lake County Conference Championships and a stretch of 34 consecutive conference wins. Bullman will officially begin her tenure on Smith’s staff in August. She follows in a pipeline between the women’s basketball programs at Illinois State and Illinois Wesleyan that includes current IWU assistant coach Brian Ehresman and current ISU assistant coach Katrina Beck. Bullman is currently pursuing a graduate degree from Illinois State.