Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Berube Named Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach Of The Year
4/2/2026 10:15:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Wildcats’ head coach led Princeton to Ivy League title, NCAA Tournament berth this past season
EVANSTON, Ill. (April 2, 2026) – Northwestern head women's basketball coach Carla Berube has been named the 2026 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year, it was announced on Thursday. Presented by Her Hoop Stats, the award, now in its third season, recognizes the country's top mid-major head coach.
Named the seventh head coach in program history last week, Berube closed out an outstanding seven-year stay at Princeton by leading the Tigers to a 26-4 overall finish in 2025-26. Princeton went 12-2 in Ivy League play en route to winning the fifth conference title of Berube's tenure and making a fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers consistently excelled in close games throughout the year, going 9-1 (.900) in contests decided by 10 points or fewer.
Berube, who coached three of the program's four WNBA Draft selections, joins the 'Cats after closing her Princeton career with a staggering 147-29 (.835) overall record. Her teams were even more impressive against conference foes, finishing 77-7 (.917) versus Ivy League opposition. Berube reached 100 Division I wins for her career only 116 games into her time in the Garden State, a mark tied for the fifth fastest in NCAA history.
The Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award is named for long-time Harvard head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. The first-ever female inductee into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, Delaney-Smith piled up 630 wins across a 40-year coaching career, guiding the Crimson to six NCAA Tournament berths and nine trips to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
Best of the Best ??
— Northwestern Women's Basketball (@nuwbball) April 2, 2026
Congratulations to @Coach_Berube on being named the 2026 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year! pic.twitter.com/3yKMQVtZqD
Named the seventh head coach in program history last week, Berube closed out an outstanding seven-year stay at Princeton by leading the Tigers to a 26-4 overall finish in 2025-26. Princeton went 12-2 in Ivy League play en route to winning the fifth conference title of Berube's tenure and making a fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers consistently excelled in close games throughout the year, going 9-1 (.900) in contests decided by 10 points or fewer.
Berube, who coached three of the program's four WNBA Draft selections, joins the 'Cats after closing her Princeton career with a staggering 147-29 (.835) overall record. Her teams were even more impressive against conference foes, finishing 77-7 (.917) versus Ivy League opposition. Berube reached 100 Division I wins for her career only 116 games into her time in the Garden State, a mark tied for the fifth fastest in NCAA history.
The Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award is named for long-time Harvard head coach Kathy Delaney-Smith. The first-ever female inductee into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, Delaney-Smith piled up 630 wins across a 40-year coaching career, guiding the Crimson to six NCAA Tournament berths and nine trips to the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
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