University of West Alabama Women's Basketball

Sterling Martin enters his eighth season as head coach of the UWA cross country programs and the second as leader of the track and field teams. Joining the UWA staff in 2018, he added track and field duties in the summer of 2022.  In 2024, Martin guided West Alabama's Augusta Arnold, Brayden Harris, and Balikis Yakubu to individual GSC Championships. Furthermore, Balikis was a two-time All-American in er time with the Tigers.   Martin came to West Alabama in 2018 as the head cross country coach but has a history of holding the reins on both programs before coming to UWA. He served as the head men's and women's cross country and track coach at Missouri University of Science and Technology for 14 years. Previous head coaching stops include men's cross country and track at Bowling Green (1998-02) and men's cross country at Drake (1993-98).   He has also served as assistant men's and women's track and field coach at Drake (1990-98), as well as holding volunteer coaching posts at Iowa State (1989-90) and Northern Iowa (1987-89).   Martin earned Great Lake Conference coach of the year honors four times while winning three GLVC Outdoor Championships and one GLVC Indoor Championship. He has coached nine Capital One Academic All-Americans, 31 school record holders, 29 conference championship performers and five All-Americans. Student-athletes under Martin's supervision graduate at over 90 percent.   He has also served as both first and second vice-president from Division II track and field for the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.   Martin earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education from Drake in 1987. He has also earned the TAC Coaches Training Program Level II Distance and Endurance in 1996, in Sprints and Hurdles in 1991 and the TAC Coaches Level I in 1990.    

Tiffany Morton enters her second season as head coach of the West Alabama women's basketball program. Morton spent the 2023-24 season at the University of Wisconsin, where she served as an assistant women's basketball coach. The program showed great success while on staff as the program won 15 games, the second-most in program history, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).  While at Wisconsin, she coached three players to postseason honors, led by Serah Williams's First Team and All-Defensive Big Ten selections and was chosen as the league's Defensive Player of the Year.  Prior to her time in Madison, she spent the 2022 season as an assistant coach at Rice University, where she was a part of the top recruiting class for Conference USA and worked with post players.  She has also been an assistant at Georgia State, Mercer, Wagner, LSU and Montevallo. During her time at Mercer, she was a part of the development of Kahlia Lawrence, who was a three-time Player of the Year in the Southern Conference and selected by the Minnesota Lynx as the 24th pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft.  She started her coaching career at her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, where she was a three-year member of the Warhawks women's basketball team. During the 2008 campaign, she was a member of the Final Four at the NCAA Division III Championships, where they finished third in the nation with 29 wins. Averaging 14.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, she was named a Fourth Team All-American by D3hoops.com. In 2024, Morton was inducted into the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater Hall of Fame. Morton graduated from Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in psychology with a minor in coaching. She also earned her master's at UW-Whitewater in science and education with an emphasis in professional development in 2012. She has one son, Micah.

Dylann Swisley serves as the Assistant Director of Compliance & Student-Athlete Success at the University of West Alabama, where she leads initiatives designed to support the holistic growth of NCAA student-athletes. In this role, she oversees career development programming, facilitates professional networking opportunities, and collaborates with compliance and academic support staff to ensure student-athletes are prepared for success both on and off the field. Prior to joining UWA, Swisley built a diverse background in athletic performance, coaching, and career development. She is the founder of Panther Performance, an elite training and AAU competition program based in Ponte Vedra, Florida, where she has helped numerous athletes earn NCAA scholarship offers through individualized speed, agility, and strength training. From 2022 to 2025, Swisley also served as the Head Coach for track and field at Allen D. Nease High School, producing multiple school record holders, district champions, and collegiate athletes while expanding the program’s participation and success. Her experience also includes a strength and conditioning internship at Flagler University, where she collaborated with athletic trainers and coaches to design performance programs emphasizing injury prevention and optimal biomechanics. Outside of athletics, Swisley spent four years as a Recruiter with MaineHealth, where she earned recognition as the top job placement recruiter in the state through her commitment to career readiness and inclusive employment practices. A former collegiate athlete herself, Swisley brings a unique perspective to student-athlete support—combining firsthand athletic experience with a deep understanding of personal and professional development. Her work continues to center on empowering student-athletes to reach their full potential in competition, in the classroom, and in their careers beyond sport.

Sutton, a native of Jackson, Mississippi, joins West Alabama's staff after a four-year stint at Callaway High School where she served as the Head Girl's Basketball Coach. Sutton's coaching career began in 2015 where she served on Tougaloo College's staff as a student, before graduating in 2018. A couple of years later, Sutton received her Master's Degree from Jackson State University which led to her first full time coaching job. The Jackson, Mississippi Native accepted her first head coaching position at Northwest Jackson IB World Middle School. Sutton led Northwest Jackson to back-to-back undefeated seasons, winning the JPS Middle School District Championship in both years.  After dominating the Middle School level, Sutton moved to the High School ranks as she was announced the Head Coach of Callaway High School in 2021. When Sutton took the job, Callaway High was fresh off a 1-16 season, but the young Head Coach quickly turned around the program. Under Sutton's tutelage, Callaway High School made four consecutive playoff appearances, three Elite Eight appearances,  won two Regular Season Championships, won the District Championship, and captured their the first State Championship in Callaway High School history.  As Sutton elevates once again to the next level, she holds a 91-35 career coaching record at the High School level, leading to four Coach of the Year accolades.

Denson joined West Alabama’s Women’s Basketball staff in 2025 after being the Tigers Starting Center the previous two years.  As a player, Denson played in 52 games across two seasons, scoring 337 points and grabbing 244 rebounds. Denson was a leader on and off the floor for the Tigers as she was named to the GSC Honor Roll twice. Before arriving in Livingston, Denson competed for East Central CC in Mississippi. The Center played in 32 games for East Central and averaged a career-high 10.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in 2022-23. Over the course of her collegiate career, Denson played in 84 games, made 47 starts, scored 617 points, grabbed 442 rebounds, dished out 110 assists all while shooting 48.1 percent from the floor. After her playing career concluded, Denson immediately got into coaching. Before the 2025 Women’s College Basketball Final Four began, Denson was invited to the Final Four site for the “So You Want To Be A Coach” WBCA class. Denson, a member of the WBCA, was one of the few up and coming coaches in the country to receive an invitation. The selected few were flown into the Final Four site where they shadowed coaches from UCONN, UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas.  Denson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of West Alabama and is now in pursuit of her Master’s.