University of Missouri Women's Basketball

Pingeton is entering her seventh season at the helm after the Tigers completed the best campaign during her tenure in 2016-17, winning 22 games. Under Pingetons guidance, the programs success on and off the court helped produce the nations largest attendance increase as Mizzou fans came out in droves to support the team last season. Mizzou Arena welcomed an average of 3,990 fans per game, including a facility-record 7,989 fans for a showdown with Tennessee. Mizzou faithful were rewarded for their support as the Tigers posted their fourth consecutive winning season for the first time since 1986-90. Mizzou spent eight weeks in the AP Top 25 poll and finished with eight conference victories for the first time in more than a decade, highlighted by victories over No. 6 Mississippi State and No. 22 Florida. Pingetons squad capped the season with the programs 10th NCAA Tournament appearance. Mizzou entered the Big Dance as a No. 10 seed and knocked off seventh-seeded BYU, 78-69, in the opening round to seal its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2001.   At seasons end, both Sophie Cunningham and Jordan Frericks received recognitions for outstanding campaigns. Cunningham became the first SEC Freshman of the Year in program history and was one of eight finalists for the USBWA National Freshman of the Year award. Frericks took home Second-Team All-SEC honors after surpassing the 1,000-career point mark during her junior season. Pingetons system, defined by relentless hard work, also excelled in the classroom. The Tigers finished with a 2016 Spring Team GPA of 3.31, which is the highest ever recorded in program history. Additionally, redshirt senior Lindsey Cunningham was inducted into the Mizzou 39 Class of 2016, the most prestigious honor a student can receive at the University of Missouri. Pingeton has restored a proud Missouri womens basketball tradition and has recorded a 101-89 (.532) record over her six seasons with her teams averaging 19 wins per year over the last three seasons. In 21 years overall as a head coach, Pingetons teams have gone 436-246 (.639). She has led her squads to postseason play 14 times and has mentored 34 all-conference honorees, seven Academic All-Americans, six All-Americans and five conference Players of the Year. She has won three regular season conference titles, two postseason conference tournaments and has twice been named the conference Coach of the Year. In 2014-15, the Tigers finished 19-14, the highest win total for the program since 2005-06. Mizzou earned victories in each of the first two rounds of the WNIT. The squad featured a stifling defense, which ranked 12th in the country in opponent field goal percentage (35.1) and 17th in the nation with 29.0 defensive rebounds per game. It was also a banner year for the offense as the Tigers drained 49 more 3-pointers than any other school in the SEC and finished 31st nationally with 249 triples throughout the season. On Feb. 26, 2015, Mizzou upset No. 12 Texas A&M, 70-69, and ended a 17-game home winning streak for the Aggies in College Station when Maddie Stock drained a game-winning 3-pointer with less than a second remaining. The Tigers earned WNIT victories at Northern Iowa and at Kansas State to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in 12 years. In a record-setting performance against K-State in the second round, Mizzou earned a 67-48 win, with the 19-point margin of victory serving as the largest in postseason annals for the Tigers. In that contest, the Tigers dominated the glass with a 50-31 rebounding margin which also established a new postseason program record. Morgan Eye tied a WNIT record with nine 3-pointers to lead the offense on a landmark afternoon. Head Coach   : : : : 7th Season : Atkins, Iowa : St. Ambrose, 1990 Since stepping foot on Mizzou's campus in 2010, head coach Robin Pingeton has led the Mizzou Women's Basketball program to greater heights each and every season. Pingeton is entering her seventh season at the helm after the Tigers completed the best campaign during her tenure in 2016-17, winning 22 games. Under Pingetons guidance, the programs success on and off the court helped produce the nations largest attendance increase as Mizzou fans came out in droves to support the team last season. Mizzou Arena welcomed an average of 3,990 fans per game, including a facility-record 7,989 fans for a showdown with Tennessee. Mizzou faithful were rewarded for their support as the Tigers posted their fourth consecutive winning season for the first time since 1986-90. Mizzou spent eight weeks in the AP Top 25 poll and finished with eight conference victories for the first time in more than a decade, highlighted by victories over No. 6 Mississippi State and No. 22 Florida. Pingetons squad capped the season with the programs 10th NCAA Tournament appearance. Mizzou entered the Big Dance as a No. 10 seed and knocked off seventh-seeded BYU, 78-69, in the opening round to seal its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2001.   At seasons end, both Sophie Cunningham and Jordan Frericks received recognitions for outstanding campaigns. Cunningham became the first SEC Freshman of the Year in program history and was one of eight finalists for the USBWA National Freshman of the Year award. Frericks took home Second-Team All-SEC honors after surpassing the 1,000-career point mark during her junior season. Pingetons system, defined by relentless hard work, also excelled in the classroom. The Tigers finished with a 2016 Spring Team GPA of 3.31, which is the highest ever recorded in program history. Additionally, redshirt senior Lindsey Cunningham was inducted into the Mizzou 39 Class of 2016, the most prestigious honor a student can receive at the University of Missouri. Pingeton has restored a proud Missouri womens basketball tradition and has recorded a 101-89 (.532) record over her six seasons with her teams averaging 19 wins per year over the last three seasons. In 21 years overall as a head coach, Pingetons teams have gone 436-246 (.639). She has led her squads to postseason play 14 times and has mentored 34 all-conference honorees, seven Academic All-Americans, six All-Americans and five conference Players of the Year. She has won three regular season conference titles, two postseason conference tournaments and has twice been named the conference Coach of the Year. In 2014-15, the Tigers finished 19-14, the highest win total for the program since 2005-06. Mizzou earned victories in each of the first two rounds of the WNIT. The squad featured a stifling defense, which ranked 12th in the country in opponent field goal percentage (35.1) and 17th in the nation with 29.0 defensive rebounds per game. It was also a banner year for the offense as the Tigers drained 49 more 3-pointers than any other school in the SEC and finished 31st nationally with 249 triples throughout the season. On Feb. 26, 2015, Mizzou upset No. 12 Texas A&M, 70-69, and ended a 17-game home winning streak for the Aggies in College Station when Maddie Stock drained a game-winning 3-pointer with less than a second remaining. The Tigers earned WNIT victories at Northern Iowa and at Kansas State to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time in 12 years. In a record-setting performance against K-State in the second round, Mizzou earned a 67-48 win, with the 19-point margin of victory serving as the largest in postseason annals for the Tigers. In that contest, the Tigers dominated the glass with a 50-31 rebounding margin which also established a new postseason program record. Morgan Eye tied a WNIT record with nine 3-pointers to lead the offense on a landmark afternoon. Jordan Frericks earned second-team All-SEC honors and honorable mention All-SEC recognition from the Associated Press after leading the conference with 9.9 rebounds per game, which is the highest average by a Tiger since the 1997-98 campaign. Her 327 total rebounds rank third in Mizzou single-season history and are the most since Renee Kellys record of 395 set in 1985-86. Frericks tied a program record with 33 starts, equaling Lorraine Ferrets mark that had stood since 1980-81. Eye closed her illustrious career with 367 baskets from beyond the arc, which is 141 more than any other player to ever wear a Tiger uniform. Following the season, she was invited to the State Farm College Womens 3-Point Championship at the Final Four in Indianapolis. With one season of SEC play under their belt, Pingeton's Tigers came into the 2013-14 season with a vengeance, recording wins over two ranked foes in No. 25 Georgia and No. 16 Vanderbilt. The Tigers closed the season with a 17-14 record and advanced to the WNIT for the second year in a row. Mizzou broke its own 3-point shooting records with 292 made 3-pointers. The number stands not only as the most in Missouri history but also established an SEC record. In addition, Pingeton's squad topped Bradley early in the season, 126-55, to set the school's single-game and single-half scoring records. Pingeton's recruiting talents were once again on display in 2013-14 as Mizzou's three true freshmen proved to be the most productive incoming class since the 1996-97 season. The trio of newcomers, Frericks, Kayla McDowell and Sierra Michaelis averaged 17.9 points per game on 44.4 percent shooting while pulling down 13.5 rebounds and dishing out 2.6 assists per game. Pingeton's Tigers were successful from top-to-bottom as first-team All-SEC selection Bri Kulas ranked among the conference scoring leaders by averaging 18.3 points per game. Kulas became Mizzou's seventh WNBA draft pick as she was selected by the San Antonio Stars in the third round (28th overall) of the 2014 WNBA Draft. Pingeton's Tigers have also successfully proven themselves as standouts off the court as several Tigers were again given academic honors from the SEC. Lianna Doty was named SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2013-14. Under Pingeton's tutelage, Missouri has seen a consistent increase in academic recognition each season as Lindsey Cunningham, Doty, Eye, Bree Fowler, Frericks, McDowell, Juanita Robinson, Maddie and Morgan Stock were all named to the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll in 2014-15. Missouri has also consistently worked to better the Columbia area by volunteering in the community. The Tigers put in more than 350 hours of community service during the 2013-14 season, 333 hours in 2012-13 and 325 hours in 2014-15. During Mizzous inaugural season in the SEC, the Tigers showed that they would be a force to be reckoned with under Pingeton's guidance. In addition to setting numerous school and SEC records, the Tigers posted a 17-15 record, made the postseason for the first time since 2007 and knocked off three top 25 teams on the way to a respectable finish in the conference. Eye lit up the nets on her way to finishing the year as one of, if not the best, 3-point shooters in the NCAA. Eye led the country in 3-point shooting, set the Mizzou single-game record for triples (11) and set the SEC record for treys in a season (112). The 2012-13 season under Pingeton showed that a solid foundation had been laid for Mizzou Womens Basketball. Not only did the Tigers knock off 12th-ranked South Carolina and NCAA Tournament-bound Florida, but the Tigers took down perennial power Tennessee in a victory that many of her peers say was a "program-changer." Through the recruiting efforts of Pingeton and her staff, three Tigers earned SEC recognition for their efforts and contributions on the court. Kulas was named second-team All-SEC, Doty made the SEC All-Freshman Team and Eye was recognized as the SEC Co-6th Woman of the Year. Following the season, four Tigers were named to the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll and five freshmen were named to the 2012-13 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. Pingeton reinvigorated the Tigers program from the moment she stepped on-campus in Columbia. During her initial season, Missouri posted a 13-18 record and 5-11 mark in Big 12 Conference play, the best for the team since 2006-07. The Tigers accomplished those feats despite playing the seventh-toughest schedule in the nation, a slate that featured 16 games against teams who qualified for the NCAA Tournament and 10 games against ranked opponents. Mizzou recorded three wins against ranked foes, defeating No. 12 Georgetown, No. 22 Texas and No. 23 Iowa State. The three wins over ranked opponents were the most for the Tigers since the 2000-01 season. Additionally, Mizzou's win over Texas ended a 12-game losing streak to the Longhorns dating back to 2001, and was only the second time the Tigers had ever defeated the Longhorns. Success for the Tigers continued in the 2011-12 season as Mizzou started out with a 10-1 record, the program's best start since the 2006-07 season when Mizzou began the year 12-1. Under Pingeton's direction, the Tigers went undefeated through the first five games for the first time since 1997. With Pingeton's leadership, Christine Flores became the first Tiger to record a triple-double since 1995. Flores set several records at Mizzou, including the most blocks in her career (209) and in a single season (93) before being drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in the third round (30th overall) of the WNBA Draft. Before taking the reins at Mizzou on April 8, 2010, Pingeton spent seven years leading the Illinois State Redbirds, where she amassed a 144-81 (.640) record and brought the Redbird program back to national prominence. During her tenure, she led the school to three straight Missouri Valley Conference Regular Season titles, two State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championships, a school-best four straight 20-win seasons, two NCAA Tournament berths and three WNIT appearances en route to Missouri Valley Coach of the Year honors in 2004 and 2010. During her last three seasons in Normal, Pingeton compiled an 81-23 (.779) mark to put together the best three-year span in Illinois State history. In 2009-10, Pingeton led the Redbirds to a third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference regular season title, the semifinals of the WNIT and a 28-8 record. During Illinois State's WNIT run, the team earned wins over Butler, Purdue, Illinois and Kansas. The 28 wins tied the 1980-81 Illinois State team for the most in program history and marked the fourth straight year the team won at least 22 games. Pingetons efforts garnered Russell Athletic/Women's Basketball Coaches Association Region 6 Coach of the Year and Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year accolades. In 2008-09, Pingetons squad went 27-8 and had a 16-5 mark in The Valley as the team earned its first ever outright Missouri Valley regular season title and advanced to the WNIT semifinals. One year earlier, the Redbirds went 26-7, posted the second-best winning percentage (.788) in school history, earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament and claimed the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and a share of the regular season crown. In her first year on the Illinois State sideline, Pingeton earned Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors after going 16-13, the first winning season for the Redbirds in seven years. The following year, Illinois State earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1989 after claiming the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship. Pingeton then led the team to a 22-11 record in 2006-07, Illinois State's first 20-win season since 1989-90. Before taking over at Illinois State, Pingeton spent three seasons as an assistant coach on Bill Fennelly's staff at Iowa State, including the 2002-03 season as the associate head coach. During her time in Ames, the Cyclones went 66-33, made two NCAA Tournament appearances and won the 2001 Big 12 Tournament title. Pingeton started her head coaching career in 1992 at St. Ambrose, her alma mater. In eight seasons, the Bees qualified for five NAIA National Tournaments, including Elite Eight berths in 1996 and 2000. Pingeton was named the conference coach of the year three times and the NAIA Kodak District Coach of the Year in 2000. A 1990 graduate of St. Ambrose, Pingeton stands as the school's all-time scoring leader with 2,502 points and earned All-American honors in basketball and softball. She also played three seasons of professional basketball in the Women's Basketball Association. Pingeton and her husband, Rich, are the proud parents of two sons, Blake, born June 9, 2006, and Zach, born July 5, 2011. In her limited spare time, Pingeton enjoys spending time with her family on their boat and playing golf. Pingeton by the Numbers All-conference players  Seasons of head coaching experience Post season tournament appearances Academic All-Americans All-Americans Conference Players of the Year Regular season conference championships Conference tournament championships Conference Coach of the Year awards Head Coaching History What They're Saying About Robin Pingeton "Building a collegiate women's basketball program at an institution that competes in the toughest conference in the land requires hard work, commitment to recruiting and 'stick-to-it-tiveness.' This is what Robin has done along with developing a winning culture that consistently steepens within her program. She has laid the foundation of success that will consistently win in the SEC and the NCAA Tournament. Her offensive and defensive play is well thought out and tough to handle for opponents. It's been fun watching the growth of her players within the Missouri program and the continual growth of the program's fan base. Women's basketball at Missouri is a hot ticket and Robin has made that happen." "Robin Pingeton is the complete package. She's an outstanding coach and teacher and an excellent ambassador for Mizzou women's basketball. She has a proven track record of winning with quality student-athletes - Kristi Cirone was a three-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and an Academic All-American. She represented The Valley very well in postseason play with wins over Purdue, Kansas and Illinois." "Robin is one of the up-and-coming stars in our profession. She really is the whole package. She has a tremendous family, she is very committed to the university and its mission and she is obviously an outstanding basketball coach and teacher. Robin has worked very hard to get to this point. She is very committed to her student-athletes and their success in life. I couldn't be more proud of her. Missouri made a tremendous hire." "Robin Pingeton is excellent for the University of Missouri community. She has experienced winning at every level. Coach Pingeton has demonstrated the ability to recruit, plan, prepare and game adjust, which are all important characteristics a coach must have to be successful." "Building a collegiate women's basketball program at an institution that competes in the toughest conference in the land requires hard work, commitment to recruiting and 'stick-to-it-tiveness.' This is what Robin has done along with developing a winning culture that consistently steepens within her program. She has laid the foundation of success that will consistently win in the SEC and the NCAA Tournament. Her offensive and defensive play is well thought out and tough to handle for opponents. It's been fun watching the growth of her players within the Missouri program and the continual growth of the program's fan base. Women's basketball at Missouri is a hot ticket and Robin has made that happen." "Robin Pingeton is the complete package. She's an outstanding coach and teacher and an excellent ambassador for Mizzou women's basketball. She has a proven track record of winning with quality student-athletes - Kristi Cirone was a three-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and an Academic All-American. She represented The Valley very well in postseason play with wins over Purdue, Kansas and Illinois." "Robin is one of the up-and-coming stars in our profession. She really is the whole package. She has a tremendous family, she is very committed to the university and its mission and she is obviously an outstanding basketball coach and teacher. Robin has worked very hard to get to this point. She is very committed to her student-athletes and their success in life. I couldn't be more proud of her. Missouri made a tremendous hire." "Robin Pingeton is excellent for the University of Missouri community. She has experienced winning at every level. Coach Pingeton has demonstrated the ability to recruit, plan, prepare and game adjust, which are all important characteristics a coach must have to be successful." "Robin Pingeton has made Missouri relevant again in women's basketball. She has created a well-rounded culture of success on the court, in the classroom and in the community." - Carol Ross, Analyst, ESPN/SEC Network, Former Head Coach, Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA), Ole Miss, Florida

Putnam played for Pingeton at St. Ambrose and has been a member of Pingeton's staff for 14 years. Putnam's presence on-staff brings loyalty, consistency and stability to the Tigers program. Putnam's responsibilities as an assistant under Pingeton include assisting in the organization of practice plans for the team and individual student-athletes, on-court coaching with post players and assisting with daily operations and Tiger basketball camps. Putnam also plays an important role with the program's recruiting efforts and manages the scheduling for future seasons. Mizzou Womens Basketball has consistently improved yearly since Putnams arrival and the Tigers made a significant leap in 2015-16, reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006 and earning an opening-round victory for the first time since 2001.  Putnam's influence on the post players shined, most notably with gritty forward Jordan Frericks. Frericks averaged 12.1 points per game and 7.7 rebounds per contest on her way to earning Second-Team All-SEc recognition. Meanwhile, rising newcomer Cierra Porter made the SEC All-Freshman squad after a stellar first campaign at Mizzou.  The inside-outside attack allowed Mizzou to finish 22-10, the most since Putnam joined the staff. The Tigers spent eight weeks in the AP Top 25 poll and ended up with eight conference victories.  In 2014-15, the Tigers finished 19-14. Mizzou advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT, and the victories in the first two rounds were the most in postseason play since 2002-03. Putnams work with the post players was again evident as Mizzou featured a defense that ranked 12th in the nation in opponent field goal percentage (35.1) and ranked 14th in the country with 29.0 defensive rebounds per game. Jordan Frericks was named second-team All-SEC after leading the league in rebounding with 9.9 boards per game, the highest mark by a Tiger since 1997-98. Frericks grabbed 327 total rebounds on the year, which ranks third in program history and is the highest total since Renee Kellys record of 395 set in 1985-86. With 33 starts on the season, Frericks equaled Lorraine Ferrets program record that had stood since 1980-81. The Tigers also drained 49 more 3-pointers than any other SEC school and finished 31st nationally with 249 baskets from beyond the arc for the year, including a game-winner at No. 12 Texas A&M to end the Aggies 17-game home winning streak. Recognized as a top recruiter, Putnam was instrumental in recruiting and signing Mizzous heralded 2015 freshmen class that was ranked 17th nationally by Prospect Nation. She played a large role in recruiting Sophie Cunningham, who became the first McDonalds All-American to sign with Mizzou, along with her Rock Bridge High School (Columbia, Mo.) teammate Cierra Porter, who was ranked the No. 37 player in the country by All-Star Girls Report. Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla./Maclay School) rounded out the class and was ranked the No. 59 forward nationally by ESPN HoopGurlz. With Putnam's continued efforts, Mizzou's successes continued through the 2013-14 season. The Tigers finished 17-14 overall and again advanced to the WNIT. Three true freshmen finished with one of the most productive seasons for an incoming class since 1997, while the Tigers reset a new school scoring record with a 126-65 victory over Bradley. The Tigers made their first postseason appearance since 2007 during the 2012-13 season as the team advanced to the WNIT. The 2012-13 Tigers squad ended the year with a 17-15 record, which was then the best for a Mizzou team since the 2006-07 campaign. The 2011-12 team started the season 10-1, which at the time marked the program's best start since 2006-07. With Putnam's aid, the Tigers went undefeated through the first five games for the first time since 1997. Putnam's experience both as a player and coach brings a wealth of knowledge to the program, and this became apparent in the staff's first year. In her first season with the Tigers, Putnam helped coach the team to a 13-18 overall record and a 5-11 mark in Big 12 Conference play, the best for the team since 2006-07. The Tigers also earned three wins over ranked opponents, a feat that had not been accomplished since the 2000-01 season. Before coming to Missouri, Putnam spent seven years as an assistant coach for Pingeton at Illinois State. She helped turn around a program that had not earned a winning season in seven years. During her time with the Redbirds, the squad made five postseason appearances, earned three Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles, two State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championships and recorded a 144-76 record. In the 2009-10 season, Putnam aided the Redbirds to a third consecutive Missouri Valley Conference regular season title. Illinois State advanced to the semifinals of the WNIT and a 28-8 record. During the WNIT run, the team earned wins over Butler, Purdue, Illinois and Kansas. The 28 wins tied the 1980-81 Illinois State team for the most in program history and it also marked the fourth straight year the program recorded at least 22 wins. Putnam began her coaching career in 2001 at Bettendorf (Iowa) High School as the freshman girls coach and also served on the staff of the women's basketball program at Marycrest International University in Davenport, Iowa. Putnam was the facilities coordinator for athletics in 2002 at Marycrest before joining Gene Steinmeyer's women's basketball staff at Northwest Missouri State. Her scouting and film preparation work helped the Bearcats to a 16-12 record, marking the first winning season in five years for Northwest. Before entering the coaching ranks, Putnam played collegiately at St. Ambrose under Pingeton. She was the leading rebounder on Pingeton's final team at St. Ambrose in 1998-99, a squad that finished 30-7 and reached the Elite Eight of the NAIA tournament. Putnam was also a starting outfielder on the softball team at St. Ambrose. She earned NAIA All-American honors in both basketball and softball during her playing years, equaling a feat also achieved by Pingeton previously. A 1997 graduate of Alleman High School in Rock Island, Ill., Putnam was a standout athlete in basketball, softball and volleyball. She earned all-tournament honors as a freshman on Alleman's 1994 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class A State Championship softball team. On Sept. 22, 2006, Putnam was elected into the Alleman High School Hall of Fame. A native of Moline, Ill., Putnam has three sons, Jack, Tyler and Callen.