Ripon College Women's Basketball

Evelyn Uribe became Ripon College's first ever Women's Flag Football Head Coach on September 26, 2025.  A proven flag football coach and player, Uribe boasts 11 years of flag football experience, including six as a coach. On the sidelines, she has mentored players throughout the Kiwanis Flag Football League in Panama, the LIFAE Flag Football League in Panama and the LFFJ in Panama – coaching on both sides of the ball. Additionally, she led the Cobras (Panama Team) to compete in national and world championships hosted by the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida and the Flag Football Life Tournament in Orlando, Florida. Every season as a coach she has led her team to the group stage of postseason competition, winning three league titles in Panama while advancing to the semifinals twice and winning a trio of sub championships. "Evelyn's background, both as a coach and a player, made her a standout on paper," Schumacher noted. "But it was her campus visit that truly set her apart. Learning more about her story, her passion for the sport and her vision for building a new program left a lasting impression on everyone she met. She brings a global perspective to our department and will be a tremendous asset to our student-athletes and the broader Ripon College community." On the playing side, she has won a total of nine different league championships throughout the LIFAE Flag Football League, PTY Flag, Panamanian Flag Football League, Kiwanis Football League and American Youth Football. Since 2017, Uribe has competed in a total of 13 different flag football leagues spanning two different countries. Individually, she has been selected to four all-star teams and has been named an offensive MVP twice (Chiriqui Bowl and American Youth Football) while also competing for the Panama National Flag Football Team in 2021. A native of Panama, Uribe's flag football playing experience dates back to when she was 14 years old. Uribe said: "From the moment I stepped onto campus, I felt the energy and passion that make this community special. The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming, and it was clear that this is a place that values both personal and athletic growth. I'm truly honored to join Ripon as the head coach of the new women's flag football program. As a first-time head coach, I'm excited to build a strong foundation focused on discipline, teamwork and resilience while creating a competitive and empowering environment for our student-athletes. I can't wait to get started and help shape something meaningful from the ground up." Uribe graduated from Universidad Interamericana de Panama in 2022 with an Engineering degree in Transport and Logistics. She also received her second bachelor degree in Business Administration from Florida Memorial University, an NAIA institution in the Sun Conference. In addition to her coaching duties, Uribe acts as the Athletics Business Operations Manager for Ripon College Athletics. 

The 2024-25 season is Dave Johnson's 10th as an Assistant Coach for the Ripon women's basketball team. Johnson, who is the father of Ripon Head Coach Lauren Busalacchi, has 39 years of coaching and teaching experience and has coached basketball, baseball, softball, track and cross country at the high school level. He spent 17 years as a teacher and coach at Holmen School District before serving in the same capacity for 13 years at Black River Falls School District. Johnson earned his B.S. from UW-La Crosse in 1975, before receiving his Master's degree from his alma mater in 1996.

Megan Plantz (Jensen) is in her seventh season as an Assistant Coach for the Ripon's women's basketball team, helping the team win the MWC Championship in each of her first two years. A 2017 graduate of Ripon College, Plantz earned her degree in Sports Management with a minor in Business Management, while also playing three years for the Red Hawks women's basketball team under Head Coach Lauren Johnson (now Busalacchi). Prior to coming back to Ripon, Plantz served as an assistant coach for Waukesha West's freshman girl's basketball team. She has also worked at the YMCA as a Youth Sports Coordinator and Assistant Camp Director, and as a Volunteer Youth Soccer Coach for the Burlington Kiwanis Club. A native of Waterford, Wis., Plantz has worked in game management and/or on-field promotions for Miller Park, the Lakeshore Chinooks, the Milwaukee Brewers, and as a student assistant in Sports Information at Ripon College.

On May 13, 2013, Ripon College officially announced the hiring of Lauren (Johnson) Busalacchi as the third women's basketball coach in program history. The author of the most successful stretch in Ripon women’s basketball history, and a 2025 Ripon Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Busalacchi has totaled 208 wins in 13 seasons as the head coach of the Red Hawks. Her 208 wins are eighth-most in the history of the Midwest Conference, while her 156 total Midwest Conference victories are also eighth-most in league history. Busalacchi and Ripon have won a MWC-record eight consecutive regular season conference championships, hosting the MWC Tournament the last eight full seasons. She and her staff are winners of the last seven MWC Coach/Coaching Staff of the Year awards. Ripon has been the premiere Midwest Conference women’s basketball team for nearly a decade — the Red Hawks have gone 182-65 in the last eight years, including a 145-15 record in MWC regular season games. Throughout the same stretch, Ripon is 92-20 inside Weiske Gymnasium. The 2025-26 team set school records with 26 wins and 21 consecutive victories. Busalacchi has led Ripon to five NCAA Tournament appearances in her tenure (2019, 2022, 2024, 2025, 2026), and stands atop the conference for single-season wins (26, 2026). Eight of the nine longest winning streaks in school history have come under Busalacchi’s direction, and she has coached 21 All-MWC players, two Academic All-Americans, two MWC Players of the Year, one MWC Newcomer of the Year, one MWC Defensive Player of the Year, and one D3hoops.com Central Region Rookie of the Year. 2026 saw the strongest season of Busalacchi's career so far, with the Red Hawks winning their 8th consecutive Midwest Conference championship and 3rd consecutive Midwest Conference Tournament title. Buslacchi then led the Red hawks to their best NCAA tournament performance in decades, beating UW-River Falls in the first round to give Ripon their first NCAA tournament victory since 2005. The Red Hawks also achieved their highest national ranking ever, holding top-20 positions on both major national polls. The team's 26-3 record stands as the best in school history, with the most single season wins of any MWC team all-time, and included Busalacchi's 200th career victory, Ripon's first undefeated women's basketball MWC season, a school-record 21 game winning streak, and the second best rebounding margin in Division III. Four players were named to the MWC All-Conference list, including a Defensive Player of the Year award for guard Laney Havlovitz.  In 2024, Ripon returned to the NCAA Tournament, winning the Midwest Conference outright with a 14-2 record while earning hosting duties for the MWC Tournament. Ella Ten Pas was named the MWC Player of the Year -- Ripon's first since 2006 -- and was also named a D3hoops.com second-team All-Region selection. In the process, Ten Pas set Ripon's single-season rebounding record (247) and was named the WBCA Division III Private School Women's Player of the Year. Ripon set a program record with 1,861 points scored and 411 free throws made while entering the program record books in single-season free throws made, single-season wins, single-season field goal percentage, single-season made three-pointers, single-season free throw percentage, single-season rebounds, single-season steals and single-season blocks. The Red Hawks followed a historic 2022 campaign with an even better 2023 season, winning 20 games for the first time since 2020. The 14-game winning streak from January 3 to February 25 is tied for the longest winning streak in school history. Alison Leslie wrapped up her career with 214 made three-pointers in her career, setting a new school record. In 2022, Busalacchi again led Ripon to the NCAA Division-III Tournament with an 18-10 overall record and a 15-1 mark in the MWC. The Red Hawks finished that season winning 14 of their final 16 games, including a 10-game winning streak, which is the third-longest winning streak in program history. That season, Ripon broke the school record for 3-pointers in a season with 143. In her first season at the helm, Busalacchi led the Red Hawks to a 10-13 record (10-8 MWC), which was followed by a 2-21 (2-16 MWC) season in her second year. She then led Ripon to the greatest turnaround the MWC had seen in 10 years, as the team finished 14-10 (10-8 MWC) in 2015-16, including a berth in the four-team MWC Tournament for the first time in six years. Busalacchi came to Ripon after spending one year as an assistant coach at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where her duties included recruiting, academic coordinator, film coordinator, fundraising coordinator, while also serving as an instructor of Exercise Physiology and the Director of Intramurals. Prior to her time at Coe, Busalacchi spent three years as an assistant coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa and one year as an assistant at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas. A native of Black River Falls, Wis., Busalacchi earned her B.S. in Athletic Training from Clarke College in 2008, before going on to earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy in 2010. As a member of the Crusader's women's basketball team, Johnson was named Honorable Mention All-Conference in 2006. As a junior during the 2006-07 season, Johnson earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team at the Ripon College Tournament. As a team captain that year, Busalacchi was named Team MVP, while also winning the Leadership Award. She finished her career at Clarke ranking in the school's top 10 for scoring, steals, assists, 3-point field goals, free throw percentage and minutes played. Busalacchi and her husband Mark currently reside in Hartford. They have three children: Shea, Sophie and Jhett.  Busalacchi also holds the position of Assistant Athletic Director in addition to her coaching duties.