Head Coach Tracey Braden joined the Westminster athletic staff in 2007 as the women’s basketball head coach, and in 2016 she assume the director of athletics role.
Braden has helped turn the Westminster women’s basketball program into a winning program; she currently holds a 146-85 record at Westminster throughout her nine years and is the winningest coach for the Westminster program. Braden earned the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Coach of the Year honors for the 2010-11, 2012-13, 2015-16 seasons and split the honors with Maryville’s coach for the 2008-2009 season.
She has taken the Blue Jays to eight consecutive St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) tournaments. She has led them to four regular season championships and two SLIAC tournament championships, earning NCAA berths in 2012 and 2013.
On top of the success she has brought to the court, Braden has shown the true meaning of an NCAA Division III student-athlete to the women’s basketball program. The team has been named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll four times since Braden became the coach. The team first appeared on the honor roll in 2009-10 in 24th place. The team landed at 13th place for the 2011-12 season before placing 4th in the nation for the 2012-13 year with a 3.566 GPA. In the 2013-14 school year, the team was named the number one team in the nation with a 3.642 GPA.
Prior to coaching at Westminster, Braden coached at the high school level for eight years. She coached at California High School, Harrisonville High School and Winnetonka High School and was named Coach of the Year in the Tri-County Conference in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Braden also served as an assistant coach in softball, volleyball and track at the high school level.
Braden began her collegiate playing career as a member of the basketball and softball team at Central Methodist College in 1984-85. She transferred to Central Missouri State University and was a member of three basketball teams that captured conference championships and qualified for three NCAA Division II National Tournaments.
Braden is a product of Versailles, Missouri and a 1997 graduate from Central Missouri State University. She now resides in Fulton, Missouri.
Milestone Wins At Westminster
1st Westminster Win: at Central Christian, W 93-26, Dec. 1, 2007.
1st Career Win: at Central Christian, W 93-26, Dec. 1, 2007.
50th Career Win: at Greenville, W 74-70, Feb. 5, 2011.
100th Career Win: vs. MacMurray, W 71-58, Jan. 16, 2014.
**Note, her actual 100th win was against Fontbonne on 1/14/14, but she was not present due to family matters.
