Gophers extend Lindsay Whalen’s contract through 2024 as women’s head basketball coach

The University of Minnesota announced on Friday head women’s basketball coach Lindsay Whalen has agreed to a contract extension that will keep her at her alma matter into 2024.

The extension was made official Friday after being approved at the Board of Regents meeting.

Whalen had guided Minnesota to a 21-11 record overall while tallying a 9-9 mark in the Big Ten in her first season as head coach last year. Her team also earned a spot in the second round of the WNIT, according to a news release.

Whalen became the fifth coach in program history to lead the team to 20 wins in their first season, and of the 24 rookie head coaches in Division I basketball during the 2018-19 season, no one had more wins or a better win percentage (.656) than Whalen.

Minnesota has gone 36-21 during her tenure.

Under Whalen’s tutelage, Kenisha Bell earned honorable mention All-America honors from the AP, was a semifinalist for the 2019 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, garnered consensus First Team All-Big Ten honors from the league’s coaches and media and was a member of the All-Big Ten Defensive Team.

In addition, Destiny Pitts was named First Team All-Big Ten by the league’s coaches (second team by the media), and Taiye Bello was an All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree, according to a news release.