Teams: Women's Basketball: Press Releases

COACH CARLA BERUBE BECOMES PROGRAM'S ALL-TIME WINS LEADER

Coach Carla Berube's teams have won more than 70 percent of their games during her eight seasons

MEDFORD -- In her eighth season as head coach of the Tufts University women's basketball team, Coach Carla Berube became the Jumbo program's all-time leader in victories on Saturday at Middlebury College. The 2009-10 team presented her with the 138th win of her career, which surpassed the 137 victories accumulated by Sharon Dawley from 1984-93.

Coach Berube no doubt would have preferred a cleaner win for the milestone, but the Jumbos got it done with a 62-56 final against the Panthers. Tufts led by 13 at the half, but host Middlebury was able to make it interesting by twice pulling within three points late in the second half. Junior Colleen Hart (Needham, MA) scored 26 points in the record-setting victory.

"It's nice way to recognize the outstanding seasons, teams and student-athletes that I've been lucky to have been a part of in my seven-plus years here," Berube said. "It's been an amazing ride thus far. I hope to continue leading these bright, hard-working Jumbos for many years to come."

With a 138-55 record overall since coming to Tufts in 2002, Berube has an outstanding .715 winning percentage. Entering the 2009-10 season, her .702 winning percentage ranked her among the top 50 winningest active coaches in the NCAA's Division III. The 2007-08 Tufts team coached by Berube owns the program's single-season wins record with its 26-4 record. Last year's 22-5 team is second. In all, Berube has coached four of the top five teams ranked by wins in the program's history. The 2003-04 and 2006-07 Jumbos both won 18 games. The 2009-10 and 2007-08 teams both enjoyed 12-game winning streaks, the longest in team history.

In her first head coaching position, Berube has established the program on a national level. The Jumbos have made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, and advanced to the "Elite Eight" in 2008. A regular in the D3Hoops.com national poll during the last few seasons, the current Tufts squad is at #16.

A 1997 UConn graduate, Berube was a member of the 1995 NCAA Division I national championship team. She played professionally in the American Basketball League before getting into coaching as an assistant at Providence College. At Tufts, she earned NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2006-07. She was selected by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association as the New England Coach of the Year for the 2007-08 season. She was also voted NESCAC Co-Coach of the Year that season.

"Coach Berube puts an emphasis on preparation and has a knowledge of the game that would be rivaled by few coaches at any level," Tufts assistant Ian Davis said. "She has the experience and confidence to help her players focus even in the most pressured game situations, which has helped this basketball program
evolve and grow over the past eight seasons."

Incidentally, Dawley, who is now the head coach at Vermont, has the Catamounts ranked #24 in the USA Today/ ESPN Division I women's poll.

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