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Iowa head coach Jan Jensen is reaping the rewards from her first season at the helm of the Hawkeyes.
On Wednesday, she was named the 2025 2025 Spalding Maggie Dixon NCAA Division I Rookie Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WCBA). The honor is bestowed upon a coach who leads their team to success in their first year. The Hawkeyes finished the season 23-11 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew said of Jensen:
Jan led Iowa 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.
Brian Collins, Spalding vice president, added:
This award is a symbol of inspirational leadership and the positive influence sports can have on individuals, teams, and communities, which Jan has embodied in her first season. We want to congratulate Jan on the commitment to excellence shown at the University of Iowa and look forward to watching her continued impact on student-athletes on and off the court.
In May of last year, Jensen was named head coach following the retirement of Lisa Bluder, whom Jensen had served under as an assistant for twenty years, first at Drake and then Iowa. Jensen also was the program’s recruiting coordinator, catapulting the Hawkeyes into top recruiting classes. She also is credited with helping to develop post players into real game changers, including Megan Gustafason and Monika Czinano.
After Bluder’s retirement, Jensen was left with the daunting task of taking the program in a new direction following the Caitlin Clark era, when the Hawkeyes were in the glare of the national spotlight as they reached back-to-back national championship games.
Jensen made it her mission to mix the talents of a vibrant group of incoming freshmen (Aaliyah Guyton, Taylor Stremlow, Ava Heiden and Teegan Mallengi) with a core veteran talent (Hannah Steulke, Addison O’Grady, Kylie Feuerbach, Sydney Affolter and AJ Ediger) who were used to the Hawkeye system. She also created space for Villanova transfer Lucy Olsen to thrive in her last college season.
As a result, the Hawkeyes exceeded expectations and continued to play before sold-out crowds at Carver Hawkeye Arena.
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