CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State Athletic Department has announced that women's basketball head coach Chris Kielsmeier has stepped down from his position to accept the same role at Texas State. A national search for Cleveland State's next head coach will begin immediately.

"I want to thank Coach Kielsmeier for his leadership and commitment to our women's basketball program during his eight seasons at Cleveland State," Vice President and Director of Athletics Kelsie Gory Harkey said. "We are grateful for Coach Kielsmeier's dedication to setting the standard of excellence for our program and the impact he made on our student-athletes during his eight seasons at Cleveland State. Our goal is to continue the tradition that has been built here, and we remain committed to providing a transformational student-athlete experience for all of our women's basketball players."

Kielsmeier has been at Cleveland State since the 2018-19 campaign, leading the Vikings to six 20-win seasons, six postseason appearances, Horizon League Tournament (2023) and Regular Season (2023-24) championships, and the program's first-ever postseason title (2021 WBI). During his tenure, the Vikings have claimed 11 major postseason honors and 28 All-League accolades.

Statement from Director of Athletics Kelsie Gory Harkey:
I want to thank Coach Chris Kielsmeier for the tremendous leadership and impact he made on our women's basketball program and our student-athletes during his eight seasons at Cleveland State. Coach Kielsmeier set the standard of excellence for our program, and we are grateful for his service. We wish him the very best as he begins the next chapter of his career at Texas State.

Women's basketball remains a cornerstone of Cleveland State Athletics, and our program is well-positioned to continue competing for Horizon League Championships while also being a constant presence in postseason tournaments. We are proud of the tradition that has been built here and remain committed to providing a transformational student-athlete experience for every Viking that steps on campus. We have begun a national search for our next head women's basketball coach and we will focus on identifying a dynamic leader who will build on the strong foundation of the program. I want to thank President Bloomberg and the Cleveland State Board of Trustees for their full continued support as we work to position our program for sustained success.