ST. LOUIS, Mo. – On the final day of Women's History Month, the WashU Athletics Department looks back on the legendary women who have shaped the Bears, both past and present.
As a whole, women's sports at WashU account for 25 of the Bears' 29 national titles, including 10 by the volleyball program. Women's programs have made 65 Final Four appearances/finishes and have won 117 conference titles. Finally, women's programs have made 163 of the 293 NCAA team appearances in history.
By The Numbers: A Tradition of Excellence
- 2 NCAA Woman of the Year recipients
- Elizabeth Phillips (women's cross country, women's track and field)
- Lizzy Crist (women's soccer)
- 12 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Recipients
- 123 Academic All-Americans
- 1,138 All-Americans
- 35 National Players of the Year
- Alia Fischer – only Division III women's basketball player in history to earn this honor three times
- 10 Elite Scholar-Athlete winners (formerly Elite 90)
- 26 Individual National Champions
Pioneers and Program Builders
- Lynn Imergoot
- Imergoot spent 30 seasons at WashU and was the first head coach in women's tennis program history who finished with a career record of 435-164 (.726). She was named UAA Coach of the Year five times and coached the Bears to seven NCAA tournament appearances.
- From 1973-79, Imergoot served as the director of women's and co-ed intramurals
- Served as coordinator of women's athletics from 1977-84
- Served as an assistant athletic director from 1984-2005
- Inducted into the WashU Sports Hall of Fame in 2018
- Teri Clemens
- Coached at WashU from 1985-1998
- Led the Bears to seven national titles, including six-straight from 1991-96
- 1989 title was the first-ever national championship for any WashU sport
- In 1992, the Bears became the first-ever undefeated national champions in Division III history
- Five-time NCAA Division III Coach of the Year
- Inducted into the WashU Hall of Fame in 1999
- Nancy Fahey
- Coached at WashU from 1986 to 2017
- Two-time WBCA Division III Coach of the Year
- Led the Bears to four-straight national title from 1998-2001
- The Bears at the longest winning streak (81 games) that was only beaten in 2026
- Inducted into the WashU Hall of Fame in 2011
Current Leaders: Continuing the Legacy
- Paige Madara '13
- Coached the Bears to the program's first-ever National Championship in 2025
- Named ITA National Coach of the Year in 2024
- Coached the program's first-ever ITA National Player to Watch in 2025 (Eliana Hanna)
- Coached just the second player in program history to earn ITA National Rookie of the Year in 2025 (Caitlin Bui)
- Coached Caitlin Bui and Eleanor Archer to the program's first-ever ITA Cup Doubles Championship in fall 2024
- Vanessa Walby
- Head coach of the volleyball program since the 2014 season
- Led the Bears to 10 NCAA Tournaments including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2025
- NCAA national runner-up in 2016
- Has won two UAA titles
- Coached the only player in program history to reach 5,000 career assists and who holds the program career assists record (Sam Buckley)
- 22 All-Americans since Walby took the helm
- Three-time UAA Coach of the Year
- Casey Cromwell
- First season with the Bears was 2023
- Led WashU to back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances
- The program hosted its first-ever NCAA Regional in 2024 and repeated duties in 2025
- Coached the Bears to the program's first UAA title since 2017
- Two-time UAA Coaching Staff of the Year
- In 2025, coached the program's first All-American since 2016 (Erin Reardon)
- Lisa Stone
- Took the helm of the Bears in 2024
- Made a run to the Sweet 16 in 2026 for the first time since 2019
- Coached two-time All-American Lexy Harris and All-American Jessica Brooks
- In 2025-26, the Bears won 21 games, the most since 2019 (22)
- Back-to-back McWilliams Classic Champions
The Women Behind the Scenes
In addition to the wonderful coaches WashU has, the Bears also boast a large group of female support staff that support all sports and events within the Athletics and Recreation Department
Top 10 Milestones in WashU Women's Sports History
- 1908: The First "Official" Sport
- Basketball becomes the first official women's sport at WashU. By the spring of 1908, female students were competing in inter-class games, laying the foundation for over a century of athletic excellence.
- 1989: The First National Title
- Volleyball captures the first-ever NCAA National Championship in WashU history, for any sport, male or female. This victory over Ohio Northern ignited the university's reputation as a Division III powerhouse.
- 1991–1996: The Volleyball Dynasty
- Led by legendary coach Teri Clemens, WashU volleyball wins an unprecedented six consecutive NCAA National Championships. To this day, the 1992 squad (40-0) remains the only undefeated champion in DIII volleyball history.
- 1998–2001: Basketball's "Four-Peat"
- The women's basketball team dominates the turn of the century, winning four straight national titles. During this run, Coach Nancy Fahey led the Bears to an 81-game winning streak, which stood as the longest in NCAA Division III history for 25 years.
- 2000: The Era of Alia Fischer Keys
- WashU legend Alia Fischer Keys finishes her career as the only three-time WBCA National Player of the Year in DIII history. She led the Bears to three titles and still holds the program record for career points (1,974).
- 2011: Cross Country Breaks Through
- Women's Cross Country secures its first NCAA National Championship. This victory signaled the expansion of WashU's dominance into distance running, with the team adding another title in 2018.
- 2016: Soccer Claims the Crown
- In a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Messiah, the women's soccer team wins its first national title. Goalkeeper Lizzy Crist was named the NCAA Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the second consecutive year.
- 2017: Track & Field's Golden Year
- The Bears achieve a rare "double" by winning both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships in the same year, proving their depth across every event on the track and in the field.
- 2024: Soccer Returns to the Top
- Finishing the season without a single loss, the women's soccer team captures its second national title. They allowed only seven goals all season, setting a program record for defensive dominance.
- 2025: A Historic Spring for Tennis
- The women's tennis team makes history by capturing the program's first-ever NCAA National Championship. This win marked the 27th national title for WashU women's programs, cementing their legacy as "Scholar-Champions."
- Bonus: 2025 Soccer Returns for Third Program Title
- Two consecutive years, women's soccer goes unbeaten, shattering records on the way to back-to-back national championships.
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Elevating scholar-champions requires resources beyond the institutional budget. Through the W Club, generous alumni, parents, and friends provide unrestricted support that is essential to the extraordinary WashU student-athlete experience—and the ongoing growth and development of the department. Annual support for Athletics allows the Bears to consistently rise to national levels of competition and ensures that our student-athletes enjoy exceptional opportunities as they train, compete, and lead. To make a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, please visit our secure online giving form or contact the Athletics Advancement Office at athletics@wustl.edu.
