Minnesota Gophers WBB Head Coach Dawn Plitzuweit Signs Contract Extension Through 2032

Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Dawn Plitzuweit cheers on her team during the second half of the NCAA women's basketball game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena in Columbus on Feb. 13, 2025. Ohio State won 87-84 in overtime. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The Minnesota Golden Gophers announced on Thursday that Minnesota women’s basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit had agreed to a one-year extension of her contract that will now run through the end of the 2031-32 season. Plitzuweit is coming off of her best year of three with the Gophers having led Minnesota to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005. In her three years with the Gophers she has a 69-36 overall record and have improved each year.

class="has-text-align-none">Under Plitzuweit the Gophers have made the postseason all three years with a WNIT second place finish in 2024, a WBIT Championship in 2025 and the NCAA Sweet 16 run in 2026. Minnesota had a historic season in 2025=26  The Gophers finished the year ranked #18 in the AP Poll. Minnesota checked in at No. 9 in the final NET rankings, which was the third highest by a Big Ten team.  The Gophers reached the 20-win mark for the third consecutive season and the 13 Big Ten wins matched a program record, previously set in 1982-83 and 1984-85. Minnesota added four wins against Top 25 teams and two wins against Top 10 teams, marking the program’s first season with multiple Top-10 wins since 2003-04.

class="has-text-align-none">Plitzuweit was granted the one year extension due to a clause in her existing contract that grants the extension if Minnesota receives a NCAA Tournament berth in the previous season. Her base salary was raised to $1,100,000 which currently ranks 9th in the Big Ten. She is set to be awarded a $30,000 raise each following season. If Minnesota fires her without cause before April 13, 2029 the Gophers would be required to pay out the remaining salary on her contract. That drops to 75% if between April 2029 and 2030 and 50% after April 13, 2030. If she leaves before April 13, 2028 she is required to pay a 100% buyout, which drops to 50% between April 13 , 2028 and 2032.

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