WVU names new women’s basketball head coach

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) - West Virginia University Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker has named WVU’s next women’s basketball head coach.

Baker has named Mark Kellogg as the seventh women’s basketball head coach in the program’s history.

Kellogg is the sixth winningest active Division I women’s basketball coach in the country by winning percentage and brings a 445-120 (.788) career record to Morgantown.

He has spent the last eight seasons at Stephen F. Austin where he compiled a 195-55 (.780) record with seven consecutive seasons of 23 wins or more.

“Mark Kellogg is an established winner who has made a name for himself by building championship programs and preparing his student-athletes to be leaders on and off the court,” Baker said. “He has had tremendous success at every stop along his coaching career journey and has done so with great integrity.

“What became clear to our search committee was that Mark possesses the work ethic, passion and character traits that will resonate with all West Virginians and the student-athletes in our women’s basketball program. Mark and his wife, Trisha, along with their children Camden and Kayli will make outstanding additions to our community, campus and state.”

At Stephen F. Austin, Kellogg led the Ladyjacks to six straight postseason appearances, two regular season conference championships and two tournament championships along with Southland and then WAC Conference Coach of the Year honors. In the past six years, Stephen F. Austin has been the second winningest women’s basketball program in the state of Texas, and Kellogg has guided SFA to its highest NET and RPI rankings in school history.

In the last five postseasons not affected by COVID, the Ladyjacks appeared in two NCAA tournaments and three WNITs.

Prior to Stephen F. Austin, Kellogg spent two seasons at West Texas A&M where he compiled a 62-6 record and led the Lady Buffs to a Division II runner-up finish in 2014 and an Elite Eight appearance in 2015. His teams won the regular season and tournament championship of the Lone Star Conference in both seasons, and finished No. 2 and No. 6 in the final WBCA national rankings.

Before West Texas A&M, Kellogg spent the 2012-13 season as head coach at Northwest Missouri State where he increased the school’s women’s basketball win total by nine games from the previous season. He went 15-13 in the lone season and finished No. 8 in the MIAA Conference after being picked to finish No. 14 in the preseason.

Kellogg started his head coaching career at Division II Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. In seven seasons, he guided the Skyhawks to five straight NCAA tournament appearances and won the first postseason game in the school’s history. He compiled a 173-46 record (.789), winning four conference championships with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2009 and a Division II runner-up finish in 2010.

“We are thrilled to join the Mountaineer family and are excited to get to Morgantown,” Kellogg said. “I want to thank President Gordon Gee and Wren Baker for the opportunity to continue the tradition of West Virginia women’s basketball. We will work tirelessly every day to build a program that competes for championships with quality student-athletes who will make all of West Virginia proud.”

Kellogg replaces Dawn Plitzuweit, who announced her departure from WVU last month to Minnesota. She spent one year in Morgantown and compiled a 19-12 record. She replaced local legend Mike Carey, who spent 21 seasons with the Mountaineers and piled up 447 wins.