CLEVELAND – Marshall’s first-year head coach Kim Caldwell is the 2024 Spalding® Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced on Wednesday. 
 
The award honors a WBCA member NCAA Division I head coach who has led their team to a successful season during their first year of the sideline. It is named in honor of late Maggie Dixon, who in her inaugural season as the Army head coach, led the Black Knights to the 2006 Patriot League title and their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship tournament. Dixon, 29, died of an undiagnosed heart condition just weeks after on April 6, 2006. 
 
In her first season at the helm, Caldwell led Marshall to a historic 2023-24 campaign. After being picked ninth out of 14 teams in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll, the Herd went 17-1 in league play en route to the Regular Season and Tournament Championships. In addition to breaking the program’s all-time record for wins in a season (26-7), Marshall’s 23 victories in the regular season marked the most wins by a first-year head coach in program history along with the first, 20-win regular season since 1990-91. The 2024 Sun Belt Coach of the Year orchestrated a system that saw the Herd lead the league in scoring offense (85.4 points per game), scoring margin (13.9), team field goal percentage (43%), and turnover margin (23.6). 
 
Under Caldwell’s leadership, Marshall made its second all-time NCAA tournament appearance this season and its first since 1997.
 
Caldwell, who previously was head coach at NCAA Division II Glenville State University, was the WBCA NCAA Division II Coach of the Year in 2022.
 
“Success in your first year as an NCAA Division I head coach is generally a difficult feat. When a new Division I head coach demonstrates a mastery of managing all aspects of a program, as well as producing success in competition, our coaching family pays respectful attention. The WBCA is proud to announce Kim Caldwell as the winner of the 2024 Spalding® Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year award,” said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. “Kim led Marshall to a remarkable season. We celebrate her effort and effectiveness on the basketball court as a teacher and equally applaud the extensive role she plays in impacting the lives of her student-athletes.” 
 
“Spalding is proud to celebrate Kim Caldwell as the 2024 Spalding® Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year, together with the WBCA,” said Brian Collins, Spalding VP. “This award is a symbol of the leadership, mentorship, and commitment to excellence both on and off the court, which Kim embodies every day with her approach to inspiring and impacting the lives of student-athletes. We want to congratulate Kim on such a successful first year and look forward to watching future team achievements.” 
 
The first Spalding® Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year award was presented in 2007, the year following Dixon’s death. To see a list of past recipients, visit WBCA.org. 
 
About Spalding 
SPALDING® is the largest basketball equipment brand in the world. Since its founding in 1876, the iconic American brand has remained one of the most recognized driving basketball innovation today. SPALDING® is a global sporting goods leader with high school, collegiate, and professional partnerships. The SPALDING® trademark is owned by Russell Brands, LLC. For more information, visit www.spalding.com and the Spalding App. 
 
About the WBCA 
The Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. Founded in 1981, the WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit WBCA.org for more details about the association.