Women's Basketball

Hopkins Resigns as Women's Basketball Coach; CLU to Begin Search for New Hire
Hopkins seven year tenure comes to an end

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Following seven seasons and two SCIAC Championships, women's basketball head coach Kristy Hopkins has announced she will not be returning to California Lutheran University next season in order to spend more time with her family and two sons.

As the head coach of the Regals, Hopkins helped resurrect a program that endured a 4-21 season in 2002, to back-to-back conference championships in 2005 and 2006.

"Kristy brought championship qualities to CLU and through those qualities led our Regals to two championships," athletic director Dan Kuntz said. "We are extremely thankful for the time of service that she has been able to share with us."

With Hopkins at the helm of the program there have been five Regals named to the All-SCIAC First Team, eight to the second team and two players of the year.

Hopkins collected an 89-87 overall record and with the two conference championships earned the program its fifth and sixth NCAA playoff appearances. Under her tutelage, Valerie Piña and Lauren Stroot were recognized as the conference players of the year in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Stroot was also named the All-West Region Player of the Year.

In her last season she surpassed Norm Chung for second place in all-time wins for the CLU women's basketball program.

Hopkins first joined the CLU staff as an assistant for the 2000-01 season and then succeeded Tim La Kose as head coach the following year.

A search for a new head coach will begin immediately.