Valparaiso University director of athletics Mark LaBarbera has announced that Tracey Dorow has been named the seventh head women’s basketball coach in program history.

“I feel extremely blessed the Lord has guided my path to Valparaiso University,” Dorow said.  “The school is a perfect fit for me and my family.  From the minute I walked onto campus I felt right at home.  The people are incredible here.  Its mission to develop young student-athletes into servant leaders in church and society parallels my mission as a coach.”

Dorow arrives at Valpo after spending 14 seasons as the head coach at Ferris State University, guiding the Bulldogs to four NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division championships, and four 20-win seasons.

“We are extremely excited to have Tracey Dorow as our next head coach of the women’s basketball program here at Valpo,” LaBarbera stated.  “She is a skilled leader and coach, as demonstrated by the success of her teams over her entire tenure at Ferris State.  This success was seen both on the court and in the classroom.  She has a passion for helping young women develop and grow both on and off of the court.”

In her 14 seasons at Ferris State, Dorow compiled a 232-163 (.587) record, including a 23-7 mark in 2011-2012 while guiding the Bulldogs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  The all-time winningest coach in FSU history, she led her squad to the Sweet Sixteen in 2007.

The GLIAC Coach of the Year in 2003-2004, Dorow has had five players earn a total of seven All-American honors and has had seven players tally 10 total All-Region Team accolades.  Her student-athletes earned All-GLIAC honors 22 times and 10 times she has had players represented on the GLIAC All-Defensive Team.  Under Dorow’s guidance, Ferris State produced the GLIAC Player of the Year in 2000-2001, and she twice coached the GLIAC Freshman of the Year, including this past season. 

Dorow’s student-athletes have also excelled in the classroom, as three times she has led a First Team Academic All-American and 14 times her players have earned Academic All-District honors.  A total of 39 different players had earned GLIAC All-Academic selections entering this past season.  Ferris State posted the No. 1 grade point average in the country in Division II for the 1999-2000 women’s basketball season, and her team ranked second in the nation in 2002-2003.

Dorow began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Lake Michigan Community College in Benton Harbor, Mich. where she helped lead the Indians to a 69-22 record in three seasons, winning two Western Collegiate Conference titles.  Lake Michigan finished fourth in the 1997 NJCAA national tournament and held a No. 1 national ranking in February of that same season.  She also spent one season as a graduate assistant at the University of Indianapolis.

A collegiate player at Illinois State from 1990-1992, she led the Redbirds in assists as a sophomore while finishing seventh in the Gateway Conference that same season.  After transferring to Northern Michigan University for the 1993-1994 season, she earned Newcomer of the Year and Best Defensive Player honors for the Wildcats.

“I’m really eager to get to work with these young women to build them up into the best players and individuals that they can be,” Dorow concluded.

Dorow earned her Bachelor of Science degree in education from Western Michigan University in 1996 and her Master of Arts degree from the University of Indianapolis in 2003 in curriculum and instruction.

Dorow will be available to meet the campus and Valparaiso community on Tuesday afternoon from 3 to 4 p.m. in the classroom of the Athletics-Recreation Center.  The general public is invited to attend.