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NIU women’s basketball coach Lisa Carlsen has resigned after 10 years at the helm of the Huskies program, the school announced on Monday.
After three straight seasons of finishing one game under .500, the Huskies finished the 2024-25 campaign 13-17. They went 6-12 in the Mid-American Conference and missed the conference tournament.
“As I reflect on the incredible journey of the past 10 years at NIU, my heart is filled with gratitude and cherished memories,” Carlsen said in a statement. “This community embraced our family with open arms and generosity you’d expect from the Midwest, and serving as [NIU’s] head coach has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Most importantly, I have had the privilege of leading so many extraordinary young women through the sport of basketball. Being a part of their lives, their growth and their successes has been a truly humbling experience.”
Carlsen had a pair of winning seasons, going 19-13 in 2018-19 and 21-12 in 2016-17, her second year in the program.
Lexi Carlsen, a freshman guard for the Huskies and Sycamore graduate, just finished her first year playing for her mother.
The Huskies are set to play one more season in the MAC before transitioning to the Horizon League for the 2026-27 season.
According to a news release, the school will begin a national search for a new coach, although no time frame was given. Associate athletic director Chris Barker, who serves as sports administrator for women’s basketball, will have daily oversight of the program until a new coach is named.
“Thank you to coach Carlsen for her dedication to NIU and to her student-athletes over the last 10 seasons,” NIU athletic director Sean Frazier said. “Under her direction, the Huskies have excelled academically and been exemplary members of the campus and local communities. We appreciate her efforts and wish her all the best going forward.”