CHARLESTON, W.Va. - After 11 successful seasons overseeing the rise of the University of Charleston women's basketball program head coach Sherry Winn has announced that she will be stepping down from her position to pursue other endeavors.

Coach Winn leaves the Golden Eagles program a legend in her own right as both a player and a coach. Winn accumulated an overall record of 237-100, while in the coaches seat at Charleston which sets her overall 23 year coaching record at an impressive 442-234 for a 65.4 overall winning percentage.

"Sherry Winn combines a passion for winning and a compassion for student athletes.  She brought to the University of Charleston her long experience with success and her commitment to be a teacher who helps students learn and prepare for the rest of their lives.  She brought our women’s basketball program back to the top of the conference and to two East Regional Championships.  We will miss her." stated University of Charleston President Dr. Edwin Welch.

She began her time with the University of Charleston during the 2001-02 season after five seasons at the University of Colorado-Pueblo. That year she began the revitalization of the Golden Eagle program by taking them from the 13th place WVIAC finish the season before to an even 9-9 conference record, which was good enough for sixth place in the conference.

In 2002-03 she led the squad to its first 20 win season in five years that setup for a record-setting run from 2003-2006. In that span she would take Charleston to the national stage with three-consecutive NCAA Tournament bids.

The 2004-05 season saw Winn and company make the school's first NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearance as East Regional Champions. UC went on to finish the year with an overall record of 29-5 and ranked No. 7 in the Division II national poll. For her efforts, Winn was named the West Virginia Conference Coach of the Year.

For the second time in her career with the University of Charleston Coach Winn again won the NCAA East Region in 2005-06 after a 31-3 season. She coached Lisa Lee to Division II All-American status en route to gaining a national ranking of sixth.

Over the next six seasons Winn led UC to a 123-58 record with two additional NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008-09 and 2010-11.

In the 11 years she led the University of Charleston she had two selections as West Virginia Conference Freshman of the Year, Players of the Year and NCAA Division II All-Americans. She also tallied five All-Region award winners.

"It is my belief that Coach Sherry Winn is perhaps one of the game’s top teachers within all three NCAA divisions in the sport of basketball. She has been extremely proficient at being able to break down the skills of basketball and to improve the individual performances of her athletes. Coach Winn’s talents, professionalism, ethics and her love for her players are certainly going to be missed on our campus." stated University of Charleston Athletic Director Dr Bren Stevens.

As a student-athlete for two years at the University of Charleston Sherry Winn holds the record for most points in a season at 682 ('85-'86) and career points per game average at 21.5. She was a two-time Olympian as she represented the United States in team handball during the 1984 and 1988 Olympic games.

She steps away from coaching at Charleston to pursue her passion for writing as she is in the process of completing her first book, while also delving into life coaching and public speaking. A quote that has long been a descriptive phrase for Coach Winn's philosophy on the bench is one that she will now follow in pursuit of her own personal goals.

“I believe what is important is not necessarily how many games we win in a season but how far we have traveled in our journey. What is essential is the growth of the people involved in our program. Have they overcome some of their fears? Have they learned to believe in themselves? Have they become more self aware? Have they learned to change their internal dialogue from negative to positive self talk? What I desire is for each one of my players to stretch and to grow and to find a part of themselves they did not know existed.”

Career Breakdown
School	Years	Record	W/L Pct
Charleston (WV)	11	237-100	.703
Colorado St.-Pueblo	5	47-82	.364
Minn.-Morris	2	21-33	.389
Mont. St.-Northern	5	137-19	.878
Career	23	442-234	.654