HOPEWELL, N.J. – James Madison’s Sean O’Regan and Louisiana Tech’s Brooke Stoehr were named to the preseason watch list for the 2027 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats.
The award, which enters its fourth season, is named after former Harvard head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith and is given annually to head coaches in mid-major conferences based on their success across the regular and postseason as well as recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries and tactical coaching. The 20-person preseason list will be whittled down to a 10-person midseason watch list in January with five finalists being announced in March. The winner will be named around the Women’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio, which begins on April 2, 2027.
The Sun Belt Conference’s two head coaches is tied for third-most on the list with the Atlantic 10 Conference and Pac-12 Conference leading the way with two. The Sun Belt is joined by the American Conference, Ivy League and Summit League as one of a total of six conferences with multiple selections. A total of 12 conferences out of 27 mid-major leagues were represented.
Sean O’Regan, James Madison
James Madison’s Sean O’Regan enters his fifth season in the Sun Belt Conference and his 11th overall season leading his alma mater. O’Regan sports a 236-90 overall record with the Dukes and is 105-35 since joining the Sun Belt for the 2022-23 season. O’Regan’s teams have claimed four total championships in the past four years, winning the regular season title in 2023 and 2025 and the tournament title in 2023 and 2026.
He was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year after leading James Madison to a perfect 18-0 record in the regular season. He has twice been to the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and 2026 with two trips to the WBIT in between. Eight of his players have earned All-Sun Belt Conference honors, including four First-Team selections. Two players have been named Sun Belt Player of the Year under his watch with two more earning Sixth Woman of the Year. He has also coached eight All-Sun Belt Tournament selections and two Sun Belt Tournament MVPs.
James Madison was selected No. 1 in the 2026-27 Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll with a league-best three Dukes named to the All-Sun Belt Preseason Teams. JMU garnered 11 of 14 first-place votes.
Brooke Stoehr, Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech’s Brooke Stoehr enters her first season in the Sun Belt Conference as a head coach as the Lady Techsters rejoined the league for the 2026-27 campaign. Stoehr is in her 11th season leading Louisiana Tech, her alma mater, and holds a 175-174 overall record in Ruston. She previously spent four seasons at Northwestern State from 2012-16 before returning to Louisiana Tech and is 246-192 in her 14 combined seasons as a head coach.
Stoehr’s Lady Techsters are coming off a 2025-26 season that saw Louisiana Tech win its first outright conference regular season title since 2011. The team’s 26-7 overall record marked the most wins in a season 2003-04 as did the Lady Techsters’ 17 Conference USA wins. Louisiana Tech earned a bit to the 2026 WBIT for the six overall postseason tournaments under Stoehr’s direction.
Ahead of her first season in the Sun Belt, Stoehr’s Lady Techsters were picked to finish fifth with one first-place vote while two players slotted onto the Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams.