The Marshall Thundering Herd women's basketball team represents Marshall University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. They are a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Thundering Herd's only two NCAA tournament appearances were with an automatic-bid in the 1997 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament with a #15 seed in the Midwest region and in the 2024 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament with a #13 seed in the Portland 3 region.
| Marshall Thundering Herd | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| University | Marshall University | ||
| First season | 1969–70 | ||
| All-time record | 618–637 | ||
| Head coach | Juli Fulks (1st season) | ||
| Conference | Sun Belt | ||
| Location | Huntington, West Virginia | ||
| Arena | Cam Henderson Center (Capacity: 9,048) | ||
| Nickname | Thundering Herd | ||
| Colors | Kelly green and white[1] | ||
| Uniforms | |||
| |||
| NCAA tournament appearances | |||
| 1997, 2024 | |||
| Conference tournament champions | |||
| 1997, 2024 | |||
| Conference regular season champions | |||
| 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2024 | |||
| Conference division season champions | |||
| 2005 | |||
Postseason
NCAA tournament results
Marshall has been to the NCAA tournament twice. Their combined record is 0–2.[2]
| Year | Seed | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | #15 | First Round | #2 Colorado | L 49–69 |
| 2024 | #13 | First Round | #4 Virginia Tech | L 49–92 |
WNIT results
Marshall has been to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) one time. Their combined record is 0–1.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | First Round | Ohio | L 68–76 |
WBI results
Marshall has been to the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) two times. Their combined record is 2–2.
| Year | Round | Opponent | Result/Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | First Round Quarterfinals | Northern Kentucky Mercer | W 81–79 L 71–73 |
| 2019 | First Round Quarterfinals | Davidson Appalachian State | W 67–64 L 71–83 |
Head coaches
| Tenure | Coach | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–1981 | Donna Lawson | 138–134 | .507 |
| 1981–1992 | Judy Southard | 178–130 | .578 |
| 1992–1997 | Sarah Evans-Moore | 74–67 | .525 |
| 1997–2001 | Juliene Simpson | 30–81 | .270 |
| 2001–2012 | Royce Chadwick | 161–169 | .488 |
| 2012–2017 | Matt Daniel | 71–85 | .455 |
| 2017–2023 | Tony Kemper | 79–90 | .467 |
| 2023–2024 | Kim Caldwell | 26–7 | .788 |
| 2024–present | Juli Fulks | 0–0 | – |
Individual achievements
All-Americans
- Karen Pelphrey - W. Basketball News Service (1986 Third Team), Amer. Women Sports Fed. (1986 First Team, 1985 Second Team, 1884 Second Team)
Conference Players of the Year
| Year | Player | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Abby Beeman | Sun Belt |
| 1986 | Karen Pelphrey | Southern |
Conference Coach of the Year
| Year | Player | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Kim Caldwell | Sun Belt |
| 1991 | Judy Southard | Southern |
| 1987 | Judy Southard | Southern |
| 1986 | Judy Southard | Southern |
