Kristen Gillespie was named the 12th head coach in Lewis women's basketball history on July 30, 2015 and hit the ground running.
In her first year as head coach, Gillespie guided the Flyers to a record of 28-3, including a perfect 16-0 regular-season mark in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. For her efforts, Gillespie was named both the GLVC and WBCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year.
Gillespie's honors were aided by the performances of frontcourt stalwarts Mariyah Brawner-Henley and Jessica Kelliher. Brawner-Henley averaged 20.1 points and 11.8 rebounds-per-game on her way to GLVC Player of the Year and All-America accolades. Kelliher led all freshman in NCAA Division II in scoring (18.3 ppg.) and was selected as the GLVC Freshman of the Year.
Gillespie, who served as the head coach at NCAA Division III Benedictine from 2011-15, is the granddaughter of coaching legend and former Lewis Director of Athletics, head basketball and baseball coach Gordie Gillespie.
She led the Eagles to a record of 18-10 in 2014-15, which was the most wins by an Eagle squad since 2006. In four seasons, she recorded a mark of 54-53 (.505). She guided Benedictine to four-straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament appearances and mentored eight Eagles to All-NACC accolades during her tenure. The Eagles were equally as proficient in the classroom as they registered a cumulative grade point average over 3.0 in each of her four seasons.
Prior to her arrival in Lisle, Gillespie spent two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of Illinois at Chicago from 2009-11, but her formative basketball acumen was developed at North Carolina State under legendary head coach Kay Yow.
Gillespie was a four-year letterwinner and three-year captain for the Wolfpack from 1996-99. As a junior, she was NC State's starting point guard on the 1998 NCAA Final Four squad and she was also selected as a Honorable Mention Academic All-American the following year as a senior.
Upon her graduation, Gillespie had brief stops as an assistant coach at both Central Florida (1999-2000) and UC Santa Barbara (2000-02), before returning to Raleigh to pursue her masters degree as a graduate assistant under Yow. During her tenure, NC State not only advanced to the NCAA Tournament, but Gillespie played a key role in recruiting a Top 20 recruiting class in the nation in 2004.
Once she had received her masters degree from NC State, Gillespie spent two years as a high school head coach at Maclay School (2005-07) in Tallahassee, Florida, before coming back to Raleigh.
Gillespie returned to Yow's staff, but as a full time assistant coach and co-recruiting coordinator for the Wolfpack. In 2008, NC State went 21-13 and advanced to the WNIT FInal Four. In that short span, Gillespie coached five players who played professionally, including a WNBA FIrst Round draft pick, and recruited the 2010 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the Year.
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| Year |
School |
Record |
| 2011-12 |
Benedictine |
10-16 (.385) |
|
| 2012-13 |
Benedictine |
14-13 (.519) |
| 2013-14 |
Benedictine |
12-14 (.462) |
| 2014-15 |
Benedictine |
18-10 (.643) |
| 2015-16 |
Lewis |
28-3 (.903) |
| Total |
|
82-56 (.594) |
