GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado athletics has announced the hiring of Kristen Mattio as the next head Women’s Basketball coach.
Mattio, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, has spent the last six seasons as the head coach at West Texas A&M. At the helm of the Lady Buffs program, Mattio compiled a record of 154-35. She is the fastest coach in program history to reach 150 wins by doing so in just 180 games. Mattio secured four Lone Star Conference Titles (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020), took home two LSC Tournament Titles (2018, 2019) and won the South Central Regional Championship in 2017.
“We are excited to welcome Kristen to the Northern Colorado family. We set out to find a leader who would build champions on and off the court and there is no doubt we hit that mark,” said Director of Athletics Darren Dunn. “Coach Mattio is a respected recruiter and developer of talent who has achieved immense success on a national level. Most importantly, she is a tremendous person who cares for her student-athletes. Her familiarity with Colorado and the Big Sky Conference made her the perfect choice as our new head coach of the University of Northern Colorado women’s basketball program.”
Under the direction of Mattio, the Lady Buffs were no stranger to postseason success. West Texas A&M made the Division II NCAA Tournament five of the last six seasons and would’ve have made the tournament in 2021 were the bracket not trimmed due to COVID-19.
Her stellar coaching abilities have also been proven at the Division I level. The Lady Buffs have tallied four wins over DI teams during her time on staff, including victories over Big Sky opponents Northern Arizona and Weber State.
“I am truly excited and honored to join the Northern Colorado family and be part of a program with such a strong tradition,” Mattio said. “I am thrilled to join a community that embraces its university and athletic programs with such enthusiasm. I want to thank President Andy Feinstein, Director of Athletics Darren Dunn and the entire search committee for the opportunity to lead the Northern Colorado women’s basketball program. It is humbling and exciting to join an athletic department that is as welcoming, passionate and committed to success as UNC is, and I can’t wait to start building this program to be among the best in the Big Sky Conference.”
The Lady Buffs are just one of two teams in the nation to reach the Elite Eight in three out of the last eight seasons. The 2018 and 2019 Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year also recruited and coached four NCAA All-Americans, the two-time Sixth Woman of the Year and the two-time LSC Player of the Year.
Prior to taking the reins in 2015, Mattio spent two seasons as the top assistant at WT under Mark Kellogg. She helped the Lady Buffs to a National Runner-Up finish in 2013-14 and an Elite Eight appearance in 2014-15.
Before her time in Canyon, Mattio was on staff at Northwest Missouri State where she improved the Bearcats’ win total by nine games.
No stranger to Colorado, Mattio also served as an assistant at Fort Lewis College. There, she helped the Skyhawks to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, won the first NCAA postseason game in school history, reached No. 3 in the nation in three separate years, recruited two NCAA All-Americans and the RMAC Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011 in Dana Schriebvogel who was honored as the Sportswomen of Colorado for team success in 2010 and 2011.
Before assisting the Skyhawks to unprecedented success, Mattio had stops at Austin Peay and at fellow Big Sky member Montana State. With the Governors, she helped two players reach All-Conference honors in the Ohio Valley and during her time in Bozeman, the Bobcats won 23 consecutive home games and finished with the highest RPI in program history at the time.
Mattio graduated from Evangel University in 2003 with a Bachelor of Business and holds a Master’s degree in Wellness Leadership from Austin Peay. The starting point guard and team captain, Mattio was integral in leading Evangel to two NAIA Tournament appearances, three Heart of America Conference titles and one NAIA Division II Sweet Sixteen appearance.
Mattio will be introduced at a virtual press conference with further details to come at a later date.
To stay up to date on all things UNC Women’s basketball, visit UNCBears.com, follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the new UNC Athletics app by clicking here.
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Thomas Hoffman
Assistant Director of Strategic Communication
O: 970-351-1065 | C: 503-302-9592
#BearsStrong | @thoff94
