Kayla Karius named South Dakota women’s basketball coach – University of South Dakota Athletics

University of South Dakota athletic director David Herbster has announced the hiring of Kayla Karius as the 11th women’s basketball head coach of the Coyotes.

A native of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Karius graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2011 with a bachelor’s of business administration with a marketing emphasis. Karius, a standout on the Phoenix basketball team, was the 2011 Horizon League Player of the Year. She led Green Bay to four Horizon League titles, three NCAA Tournaments and the NCAA Sweet 16 her senior year. She received the Horizon League Cecil N. Colman Medal of Honor at the conclusion of her playing career. She was also named the student commencement speaker for her graduating class.

Karius takes the helm of a Coyote squad fresh off the first Sweet 16 appearance in program history. A familiar face to the program, Karius (formerly Tetschlag) served as an assistant to Dawn Plitzuweit for two seasons from 2016-18. In her two seasons at USD, the Coyotes compiled a 52-16 record with a pair of Women’s National Invitation Tournament berths. The Coyotes won the 2017-18 Summit League regular season title and became the first Summit champion to go undefeated in league play in 24 years. Karius received the WBCA’s Thirty Under 30 award in 2018. A key recruiter in the Midwest, Karius has served as the recruiting coordinator at all four stops in her coaching career – Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Drake. Her recruiting classes at South Dakota included 2022 Summit League Player of the Year Chloe Lamb, three-time Summit Defensive Player of the Year Hannah Sjerven, two-time all-league pick Liv Korngable, Monica Arens, Claudia Kunzer, Regan Sankey, and Allison Peplowski.

Source: Kayla Karius named South Dakota women’s basketball coach – University of South Dakota Athletics