By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Change will be coming to the Missouri women's basketball program as head coach Robin Pingeton has informed the Mizzou Athletics Administration she will step away from the program at the end of this season.
Pingeton, currently in her 15th season leading the Tigers, has compiled a 249-216 record at Mizzou, guiding the program to 10 postseason tournament appearances, including four trips to the NCAA Tournament.
"After a lot of reflection, I have decided it's time for a new voice to lead Mizzou Women's Basketball," Pingeton said in a news release. "This is a decision I arrived at after initiating conversations with Laird Veatch, and I am incredibly grateful for his leadership and support throughout this process. I love Columbia, Mizzou and the amazing community that has supported my family and this program for so many years. This is the end of this chapter. I'm looking forward to the next one.
"I love this 2024-25 Mizzou team and could not be prouder of the way these young ladies have competed and represented this university. I'll always be grateful for my time at Mizzou and will close this chapter just as I opened it, with profound gratitude for the opportunity to lead this program. I know Laird will do amazing things for this athletics department moving forward."
In her 15 seasons at Mizzou, Pingeton has guided the Tigers to 22 wins over teams ranked in the top 25 with seven wins over teams ranked in the top 10, including a 2021 victory over No. 1 South Carolina, Mizzou's first victory over the nation's top-ranked team in program history. Pingeton currently ranks second in program winning percentage (.535) and victories (249), trailing only Mizzou Hall of Famer Joann Rutherford (.617, 423-261).
"Robin Pingeton has poured her heart into Mizzou Women's Basketball for the past 15 years, and we are tremendously grateful for her leadership, character and dedication to our student-athletes," Mizzou Director of Athletics Laird Veatch said. "She has built a program that has competed at a high level, developed young women on and off the court and represented Mizzou with class. We respect her decision and appreciate her commitment to finishing this season strong.
"A national search for our next head coach will begin soon. We are incredibly excited about the future of Mizzou Women's Basketball."
With previous head-coaching stops at St. Ambrose and Illinois State, Pingeton is 584-373 in 29 overall seasons, owning the third-most wins among all current SEC head coaches. She is the 17th-winningest active coach in Division I women's basketball.
Pingeton's Tigers will continue their 2024-25 campaign with Thursday's game at Arkansas, a 6:30 p.m. tip-off on SEC Network+. The Tigers will play their home finale on Sunday Vanderbilt, that game will air on KFEQ with tipoff at 2pm and pregame at 1:45. The team's four seniors will be honored before Sunday's tip-off.
The Tigers will play in the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina, beginning next Wednesday.
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