Nate Oakland has announced that he will not return in 2022-23 as the head women's basketball coach at Upper Iowa University.
Oakland has led the Peacock women's basketball program for the last three years since coming to Upper Iowa during the spring of 2019. Under Oakland's direction, the team has improved in each of his three seasons and this past year won seven games for the first time since the 2014-15.
"Nate has done a great deal to put the Upper Iowa women's basketball program on track toward success," said UIU Vice President for Athletics
Rick Hartzell. "His leadership and focus on development with the program have allowed the team to improve in terms of wins and losses over his three seasons. I hate to see Nate go, but I can also understand the choice to move up to NCAA Division I and be closer to home with his wife and five children."
Oakland has coached a pair of All-Northern Sun Conference Freshman Team players in
Jessica Musgrave and
Lydia Haack. Musgrave also earned NSIC Freshman of the Year during his first season (2019-20).
This past season, the Peacocks finished with a 7-19 (4-16 NSIC) record. The team showed steady improvement after going 2-10 to start the year. UIU posted records of 3-5 in January and 2-2 in February. The season's signature win came on Jan. 14 when the Peacocks beat No. 25 St. Cloud State University Huskies by a score of 67-54 in Dorman Memorial Gymnasium. The Huskies were the eventual NSIC regular season Champions and finished the year ranked No. 16 after falling in the NCAA Championships Round of 32.
A trio of Peacocks averaged double-digit scoring totals over the season including Haack (12.4 PPG, 3.9 assists) and
Brooke Evenson (10.4 PPG, 5.9 rebounds), who both return to the squad in 2022-23.
Mia Huberty will also return for her second season after notching 7.9 points per game and was particularly effective down the stretch with 12.3 PPG over the last eight games. Starting center
Lexie Lodermeier will also be back in Peacock blue after averaging 4.9 rebounds and 3.9 points per game as a junior.
A national search for the new head coach will begin immediately.
