Proven winner Dingman takes volleyball helm
Mike Brownlee - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 3/25/08 Section: Sports
New Iowa volleyball head coach Sharon Dingman brings something to the Hawkeye program has been lacking in recent years: a history of winning.
Dingman was announced as the eighth head coach in Hawkeye history on March 21 - replacing Cindy Frederick, who resigned in December - and she will be officially introduced as the new leader of the Iowa program at a 3 p.m. press conference today.
The Monticello, Ind., native has guided her teams to winning records in 15 of 17 seasons in Division-I volleyball, and Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta will formally usher her into the Hawkeye family today.
Her coaching résumé includes stops at Auburn, Butler, and Illinois State.
In her only season with the Tigers (1991-92), Auburn finished 22-13 and placed fourth in the SEC. With the Bulldogs from 1992-99, her teams had winning records in seven of eight years, and her 1997 squad reached in the NCAA Tournament.
With the Redbirds the past eight seasons, Dingman's teams compiled winning records seven times. Her 2007-08 team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after compiling a 21-12 regular-season record and runner-up finish at the Missouri Valley Tournament.
"I am thrilled to be the volleyball coach at the University of Iowa," Dingman said in a release. "I've always felt the Big Ten conference is the premier volleyball conference in the country."
Dingman inherits a program that hasn't had a winning season since 2000, when then-coach Rita Buck-Crockett led the Hawkeyes to a 15-13 record. During the past four seasons under Frederick, Iowa was 46-82 overall, 9-71 in the Big Ten.
The past two seasons have been especially tough for Iowa, which jumped out to strong nonconference starts in 2006 (11-1) and 2007 (8-3), only to melt down during Big Ten play. Iowa was 3-37 against conference foes over the two-year span.
Dingman's hiring completes a three-month coaching search by the Iowa athletics department. Barta put Associate Athletics Director Mary Curtis in charge of the process, and Curtis said she felt the department had chosen the right person for the job.
Dingman was announced as the eighth head coach in Hawkeye history on March 21 - replacing Cindy Frederick, who resigned in December - and she will be officially introduced as the new leader of the Iowa program at a 3 p.m. press conference today.
The Monticello, Ind., native has guided her teams to winning records in 15 of 17 seasons in Division-I volleyball, and Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta will formally usher her into the Hawkeye family today.
Her coaching résumé includes stops at Auburn, Butler, and Illinois State.
In her only season with the Tigers (1991-92), Auburn finished 22-13 and placed fourth in the SEC. With the Bulldogs from 1992-99, her teams had winning records in seven of eight years, and her 1997 squad reached in the NCAA Tournament.
With the Redbirds the past eight seasons, Dingman's teams compiled winning records seven times. Her 2007-08 team earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after compiling a 21-12 regular-season record and runner-up finish at the Missouri Valley Tournament.
"I am thrilled to be the volleyball coach at the University of Iowa," Dingman said in a release. "I've always felt the Big Ten conference is the premier volleyball conference in the country."
Dingman inherits a program that hasn't had a winning season since 2000, when then-coach Rita Buck-Crockett led the Hawkeyes to a 15-13 record. During the past four seasons under Frederick, Iowa was 46-82 overall, 9-71 in the Big Ten.
The past two seasons have been especially tough for Iowa, which jumped out to strong nonconference starts in 2006 (11-1) and 2007 (8-3), only to melt down during Big Ten play. Iowa was 3-37 against conference foes over the two-year span.
Dingman's hiring completes a three-month coaching search by the Iowa athletics department. Barta put Associate Athletics Director Mary Curtis in charge of the process, and Curtis said she felt the department had chosen the right person for the job.
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