SALINA, KS - Kansas Wesleyan University Women's Basketball coach Gordon Reimer has been named the Women's College Coach of the Year by the Kansas Basketball Coaches' Association (KBCA). It is the first time that Reimer has been named to the award.

"I feel fortunate to have worked with so many great players and assistant coaches; without them this honor would have been impossible," Reimer said.

"Kansas has a lot of great college coaches and to be chosen KBCA coach of the year is very humbling."

Reimer led the 2008-09 Coyotes to a 27-6 record, marking the most wins in school history for women's basketball. The Coyotes added a 16-2 finish in KCAC play, sharing the regular season championship with Sterling College.

It was the first KCAC Championship for the Coyotes since the 1988 season, when Tracy Rietzke led Wesleyan to its only other KCAC Title in Women's Basketball. Wesleyan also finished the home portion of its schedule with a perfect 14-0 record inside the all-new Mabee Arena.

After a January 15 loss at Saint Mary, Reimer's Coyotes rattled off 15 consecutive wins, setting a new school record for consecutive wins. The winning streak featured three huge wins for the Coyotes: a 45-42 win on January 24 at Southwestern, a 67-58 home court win over then No.9 ranked Sterling College on January 29, and perhaps the biggest win in KWU Women's Basketball History, a 70-61 win over again No.9 ranked Sterling in Sterling in the KCAC Tournament Championship.

It was the first win for KWU in Sterling since 1980. The win propelled the Coyotes to a school best No.9 ranking in the final NAIA Top 25 Poll, and a No.2 seed in their section at the NAIA National Tournament in Sioux City, Iowa, in the school's first ever appearance in the Tournament.

The Coyotes took care of their first round opponent Aquinas College (Mich.) 61-52, before a heartbreaking 59-56 loss to Black Hills State (S.D.) in the Second Round.

Reimer is 68-81 in five seasons at Kansas Wesleyan, and is ranked second all-time in wins behind Rietzke, who was 94-60 in his six seasons at KWU. Reimer has also coached KWU's first ever NAIA All-Americans, as Tribune native Kaylaen Dittmer was named as a Second Team All-American in addition to being named the KCAC Player of the Year. Wesleyan also had two players named Honorable Mention NAIA All-Americans in LaCole Wilkinson and Emily Luckeroth. Reimer's Coyotes set 19 new school records, including wins in a season (27), most points (2283), most rebounds (1262) and most three-point field goals made (258).

"This is a very deserving honor for Coach Reimer," said Kansas Wesleyan Director of Athletic Programs Matthew Williams. "He has worked extremely hard to turn the program around during his tenure. They have gone from the bottom of the barrel to one of the top Women's Basketball programs in the NAIA in a short amount of time. It's a testament to Gordon's hard work and dedication to not only building the program into a winner on the basketball court, but a winner outside of the basketball court as well."

Reimer's teams have been very active in the community, coming together as a team to volunteer as part of KWU's Project HERO Community Service program. The Coyotes also excelled in the classroom, having the top team GPA in the KCAC during the 2007-08 season.

Reimer will receive the KBCA Women's College Coach of the Year award at a reception for the KBCA All-Star Game on August 5 at 1:30 p.m., at the Washburn Union on the campus of Washburn University in Topeka. Family and friends are welcome and admission is free for the event.