Division I · Southern Conference
Western Carolina University Women's Basketball
Cullowhee, NC · the Catamounts · Western Carolina University overview
12
Roster
room for 3 under the cap of 15
$1.2M
Team budget
7th percentile in Division I
$98,576
Per roster spot
median $141,297
6
Coaches
1 head · 5 assistant
985
APR
97% of players retained
87%
Admitted
lower half for selectivity
Western Carolina University fields a women's basketball team in the Southern Conference (NCAA Division I). In 2024–25 the roster carried 12 players, below the median of 15, with 1 head coach and 5 assistants. Team expenses were $1,182,919, well below the median of $2.2M — $98,576 per roster spot, bottom quarter of Division I women's basketball programs. That leaves room for 3 under the Division I roster cap of 15 in force from 2025-26. The team's multi-year Academic Progress Rate is 985, about the median of 986, with 97% of players retained year to year. The school gave $1,319,306 in athletic aid across its women's teams, about $6,835 per roster spot.
Among Division I women's basketball programs
Where this program sits against its 360 peers (percentile; the tick is the median).
#334Team budgetof 360 · Division I#284Spend per playerof 360 · Division I#337Roster sizeof 360 · Division I#175APRof 360 · Division I
Team budgets across the division
this programevery Division I women's basketball program
Roster sizes (cap 15)
this programevery Division I roster
The program
- Roster12 2024–25 season
- Division I roster cap15 room for 3
- Coaching staff1 head, 5 assistant
- Team expenses$1,182,919 for the year
- Operating expenses$182,074 game-day and travel
- Spend per roster spot$98,576 division median $141,297
- Academic Progress Rate985 multi-year; 979 latest
- Players retained97% year to year
- Eligible100% of player-terms
- Athletic aid, women's teams$1,319,306 school-wide
- Aid per roster spot$6,835 across women's teams
- Recruiting spend, women's$106,284 school-wide
Coaching staff
| Name | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Tsipis head coach | Head Coach | not on file |
| Sydney Lowery | Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordinator | On file · sign in |
| Darius Barksdale | Assistant Coach | On file · sign in |
| Claire Kaifes | Assistant Coach | On file · sign in |
| Kayla McPherson | Assistant Coach | On file · sign in |
Put Western Carolina University on a target list, address the whole staff at once, and send each email yourself from Gmail — nothing goes out without you pressing Send.Start your board
Recruiting timing
- Coaches may first contact youJune 1 after sophomore year
- Your own emailsAny time the rule limits what coaches send back
- High-school basketball players356,240 2024-25
- Division I roster spots6,175 360 programs
- Odds of a spot1 in 58 1.7% of high-school players hold a Division I roster spot
General NCAA rule for Division I; the women's basketball recruiting guide has the date for each grad year, the eligibility checklist and what to put in a first email.
About the school
What an athlete asks first — each panel opens the full picture.Campus
Full picture →10,009undergraduates · 11,628 students in all
Women 59% Men 41%
- Setting
- Town
- Type
- Public · Doctoral/professional university
- Affiliation
- None
Getting in
Full picture →87%admitted · of 18,183 applicants
SAT middle 50%1050 – 1260
ACT middle 50%20 – 26
- Test scores
- Test-optional
- Graduate in 6 yrs
- 59%
Women's Basketball
Full picture →12on the roster · 2024–25 season
Roster vs the D-I cap of 1512
room for 3
Academic Progress Rate985
97% of players kept year to year
- Team expenses
- $1,182,919 $98,577 per roster spot · bottom quarter of Division I
- Coaches
- 1 head · 5 assistant
- Athletic aid, women's teams
- $1,319,306
- Recruiting spend, women's
- $106,284
Cost
Full picture →$12,252net price · after grants, aided first-years
Net price by family income
- Tuition & fees
- $4,532 in-state · $8,532 out
Campus safety
Full picture →2.51violent offences per 1,000 · students a year, 2022–2024
- In residence halls
- 7 burglaries · 62 sex offences over 2022–2024
- Residence-hall fires
- 18 over 2022–2024
Majors
Full picture →22%of bachelor's degrees in health professions & nursing · 23 fields · Bachelor's, Doctorate, Master's
Research Western Carolina University
School pages built around what an athlete needs to know — the program's money and roster room, admissions fit, what a family really pays, majors, campus life and safety.
Women's Basketball program12 on the rosterPeers, percentiles, nearby programs, comparisonsRankingsWhere it standsEvery list this school is on, nationally and in its divisionAdmissions87% admittedSAT/ACT ladders, test policy, graduationCost & aid$12,252 net priceSticker vs net price by family income, athletic aidMajorsHealth professions & nursing · 22%Every field and program with degrees awardedCampusTown · 10,009Setting, who is on campus, housing costs, servicesCampus safety2.51 violent / 1,000Three years of reported offences against the divisionAthleticsEvery teamThe whole department: every team, staff and aid
Women's Basketball programs within 150 miles
| School | Miles | Roster | Budget | APR | Admitted | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard College Division III · USA South Athletic Conference | 26 | 18 | $156k | — | 40% | |
| University of North Carolina Asheville Division I · Big South Conference | 41 | 15 | $1.1M | 1000 | 94% | |
| Young Harris College Division II · Conference Carolinas | 45 | 18 | $502k | — | 64% | |
| Warren Wilson College Division III · Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference | 47 | 15 | $82k | — | 78% | |
| Southern Wesleyan University Division II · Conference Carolinas | 47 | 17 | $347k | — | 100% | |
| Clemson University Division I · Atlantic Coast Conference | 48 | 17 | $6.6M | 977 | 38% | |
| North Greenville University Division II · Conference Carolinas | 49 | 15 | $532k | — | 63% | |
| Furman University Division I · Southern Conference | 50 | 15 | $2.3M | 975 | 53% | |
| Mars Hill University Division II · South Atlantic Conference | 51 | 16 | $411k | — | 78% | |
| Maryville College (Tennessee) Division III · Southern Athletic Association | 53 | 13 | $204k | — | 66% | |
| Piedmont University Division III · Collegiate Conference of the South | 55 | 16 | $226k | — | 93% | |
| Carson-Newman University Division II · South Atlantic Conference | 59 | 13 | $646k | — | 68% |
Other women's basketball programs in the Southern Conference
| School | Roster | Budget | Per player | APR | Compare | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furman University at cap | 15 | $2.3M | $150,658 | 975 | vs | |
| Mercer University at cap | 15 | $2.1M | $141,434 | 986 | vs | |
| The University of North Carolina at Greensboro at cap | 15 | $1.8M | $122,210 | 952 | vs | |
| Tennessee Technological University room for 2 | 13 | $1.8M | $139,680 | 991 | vs | |
| Wofford College room for 3 | 12 | $1.6M | $133,661 | 970 | vs | |
| University of Tennessee at Chattanooga room for 1 | 14 | $1.6M | $113,028 | 991 | vs | |
| East Tennessee State University room for 2 | 13 | $1.5M | $112,179 | 990 | vs | |
| Samford University room for 2 | 13 | $1.4M | $107,148 | 1000 | vs | |
| Western Carolina University room for 3 | 12 | $1.2M | $98,576 | 985 | vs |
Every Southern Conference women's basketball program · Women's Basketball budgets ranked