CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the second straight season, Cleveland State women's basketball head coach Chris Kielsmeier has been named to the Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Preseason Watch List as announced by Her Hoop Stats.
 
Kielsmeier is one of 20 coaches named to the watch list, and the only coach from the Horizon League.
 
The 2024-25 campaign will mark the seventh for Kielsmeier at Cleveland State, where he owns a record of 125-60, with his 100^th victory as a Viking coming in a 95-41 decision over Chicago State last season. Overall, Kielsmeier has a 541-176 record through 24 years as a head coach. 
 
Last year, Kielsmeier led the Vikings to the program's first-ever Horizon League Regular Season Championship, capturing the title after posting a program record 18-2 mark in regular season #HLWBB games. For the year, Cleveland State finished with a 29-6 overall record, marking the third straight 20-win campaign for the Vikings, and the fourth under Kielsmeier.
 
After advancing to the championship game of the Horizon League Tournament for the third straight year, Kielsmeier and the Vikings earned a spot in the inaugural WBIT field, marking the program's fourth straight postseason appearance.
 
Award Eligibility & Schedule
To be eligible for this award, coaches must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be 'mid-major'. In January the 10-person midseason watch list will be announced, followed by five finalists announced in March, with the winner named around the Final Four.