Minnesota Gophers Women’s Basketball Coach Dawn Plitzuweit Receives Contract Extension Through 2032

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have officially announced that head coach Dawn Plitzuweit has signed a contract extension, prolonging her tenure through the end of the 2031-32 season. This decision comes after a remarkable season, marking her most successful year in charge of the women's basketball team.

In her three seasons with the Gophers, Plitzuweit has led the team to an impressive 69-36 overall record and has achieved postseason success each year. Notably, she guided Minnesota to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since 2005, alongside a WNIT runner-up finish in 2024 and a WBIT championship in 2025. The 2025-26 season also saw the Gophers ranked #18 in the AP Poll, and they finished ninth in the final NET rankings, the third highest among Big Ten teams.

Under her leadership, the Gophers celebrated their third consecutive season with at least 20 victories, and their total of 13 wins in the Big Ten matched a program record set in the early 1980s. Furthermore, the team secured four victories against ranked opponents, including two against teams in the top 10, marking the first time since the 2003-04 season that they achieved multiple wins over top-10 teams.

The contract extension was activated by a clause in her previous deal, which stipulates that a postseason appearance in the NCAA Tournament leads to an automatic extension. Plitzuweit’s base salary has been increased to $1,100,000, placing her ninth in the Big Ten. Additionally, she is set to receive a $30,000 raise each subsequent season.

Should the university decide to terminate her contract without cause before April 13, 2029, they would need to pay her remaining salary. This payout requirement would decrease to 75% between April 2029 and 2030 and to 50% after April 13, 2030. If she chooses to leave before April 13, 2028, a full buyout would be necessary, which would then reduce to 50% from April 13, 2028, until the end of her contract.