As part of 50 Years of KU Women's Basketball in 2021-22, KU will be releasing its all-time greatest moments of the first 50 years. Moments will be released throughout the season at home games through PA announcements. After their release, all moments will be added to this page.

Top Moments

1971. The Beginning.
The introduction of varsity women's basketball to then-Kutztown State College in the spring of 1971 was a rousing success. Margaret Francis Rothermel-Kantner, the first head coach in program history, led her team to seven consecutive victories and a 7-1 record in its inaugural season.

1972. First 10-Win Season, Led by First Hall of Famer.
Kutztown went 10-1 under Coach Margaret Kantner for the program's first 10-win season in the spring of 1972. Cheryl Schick was the primary scorer for Kutztown, including a 33-point performance in a win over Elizabethtown March 2, 1972 – the first 30-point game in program history. Schick went on to become KU's first women's basketball Hall of Famer.

March 10, 1977. Play on.
On the strength of a 10-5 regular season, Kutztown was invited to compete in the Eastern Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (EAIAW) Small College Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament. It marked the first postseason appearance in program history. The Golden Bears fell to regional host Salisbury State, 79-63, and bowed out against Lafayette in a consolation game.

1979. First 1,000-point scorer.
Suzanne Merritt was one of Kutztown's most prolific performers in the early years of varsity women's basketball. A KU Hall of Famer, Merritt played from 1975-79 and finished as the team's all-time leading scorer and the first 1,000-point scorer. She served as co-captain and was a two-time Most Valuable Player selection. She was named one of Kutztown's top female athletes of the 1970s.

Dec. 2, 1985. Surpassing the Century Mark.
Kutztown defeated Millersville in Keystone Hall, 106-80, marking the program's first 100-point game. It remains the only 100-point game in program history. It was a well-balanced effort for the Maroon and Gold as Kathy McGrail, KU Hall of Famer Fran Metz, Celeste Ross and Beth Woodley shared team-high scoring honors with 18 points each. McGrail (10 rebounds) and Woodley (12) had double-doubles, while Metz added team-highs of six assists and five steals.

1986. First All-PSAC Player.
Celeste Ross became KU's first-ever All-PSAC selection following the 1986 season. She was also named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Stars.

Feb 28, 1989. KU Tops ESU for First Playoff Win.
Under second-year head coach Tom York, Kutztown qualified for its first PSAC Tournament and went on to defeat East Stroudsburg, 59-52, in a first-round game at Keystone Arena for the program's first-ever postseason victory. Sherry Szczuka led the Golden Bears with 16 points, while Missy Boettger, a KU Hall of Famer, provided 15 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Szczuka capped the season with a school-record 540 points, which still stands today.

Nov. 17, 1989. Chair of the Boards.
Sophomore Patti Blackman grabbed a school-record 22 rebounds against C.W. Post, a record that still stands today. Blackman also scored 17 points in the contest to complete a double-double and went on to finish the season as Kutztown's second-leading rebounder with 183 (6.5 per game).

1994. York Leads at the 25-Year Mark
Tom York coaches the Golden Bears from 1987-1994 and became the program's all-time winningest coach. He coaches seasons 18 through 24 for the university and won 96 games over his seven season at the helm with a 51.1 winning percentage.

Jan. 23, 1995. 38 at Lock Haven.
Robin Avery scored a school-record 38 points at Lock Haven. She held the record for one year until Amy Wahl's 39 in overtime in 1996. Avery, a KU Hall of Famer, finished as the school's all-time leading scorer and set multiple single-season and career school records upon her graduation.

Feb. 24, 1996. East Champs.
The Golden Bears defeated Cheyney, 78-40, on the final day of the regular season to claim a share of the PSAC East title for the first time in school history. KU finished 9-3 in conference play, along with Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg. In head coach Janet Malouf's second season at the helm, Kutztown had its first-ever 20-win season. KU Hall of Famer Robin Avery led the way with 15.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game as a junior, followed by senior Rebecca Blose at 14.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

Dec. 20, 1996. Hot hand.
Amy Wahl didn't waste time making her sophomore year a memorable one. She dropped a school-record 39 points in a 72-61 overtime win at Quinnipiac – a record that still stands today. The eventual KU Hall of Famer went 13-of-24 from the floor, knocked down four three-pointers and was a perfect 9-of-9 at the foul line while playing all 45 minutes. Wahl came agonizingly close to the school's first-ever triple-double, finishing with nine rebounds and a single-game school record nine steals. She held KU's career scoring record for 12 years.

March 7, 1996. Welcome to the Dance.
Kutztown's 20-win regular season was rewarded with an at-large berth to the NCAA Division II Championship, marking the first national tournament appearance in program history. Robin Avery totaled 13 points, Rebecca Blose had 12 and Tracy Smith pulled down 11 rebounds as KU fell to Pitt-Johnstown, 63-52, in an opening round game at Shippensburg.

2000. 21 Wins.
Kutztown won a school-record 21 games in the 1999-2000 season, a record that still stands today. KU opened the season 10-2 and held three winning streaks of 5+ games. KU was led in 2000 by All-PSAC First Teamers Keri Suydam's and Brianne Homyak's 15+ points per game.

Jan. 15, 2000. Malouf Stands Alone.
Janet Malouf, hired in 1994, went .500 in her first season and followed with seven-straight winning seasons to become the program's new all-time winningest coach in 2000. The Golden Bears defeated Millersville 72-62 for Coach Malouf's 97th career win at KU. Malouf is currently in her 27th season as head coach and entered this season with 390 career wins.

Jan. 22, 2011. New Scoring Champion.
Melissa McQuade, on the night she was honored pre-game for becoming KU's all-time leading rebounder, set KU's new scoring record with a free-throw to pass Amy Wahl's total of 1,434 points. Wahl, a KU Hall of Famer who starred for Kutztown from 1995-99, was in attendance and helped celebrate McQuade on-court during the announcement of the milestone. McQuade closed her career with 1,623 points.

Dec. 7, 2013. Filling the Stat-Sheet.
Junior Advia Campbell became the first Golden Bear to record a triple-double in program history, including a school record 10 blocks – fifth-most in PSAC history. She finished with 11 points, 15 rebounds, 10 blocks and seven steals.

Jan. 14, 2017. Historic Comeback at Decker Gymnasium.
Trailing by 18 at halftime and by 25 with 3:42 to play in the third quarter, KU finished the game with the final 12 points to complete its largest comeback in 18+ years - a 69-68 victory – at Mansfield's Decker Gymnasium. KU held Mansfield scoreless for the final 3:05.

Feb. 12, 2018. Diaper Dandy.
Zoe Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) scored a KU freshman-record 36 points as KU clinched a spot in the playoffs with a 73-69 win over Shippensburg at Keystone Arena. Zerman's 36 points rank third all-time in school history and were the most scored by a Golden Bear since Amy Wahl's school-record 39.

Jan. 26, 2019. Rain Dance.
Sophomore Rylee Derr made a single-game school-record nine three-pointers during a career-high 32-point performance that carried the Golden Bears past East Stroudsburg, 81-68, at Keystone Arena. Derr also holds KU's season and career three-point records.

March 9, 2019. Home Floor Final Four.
KU hosted the PSAC Final Four for the first time in school history in 2019. As the top-seed in the East, Kutztown took down nationally-ranked California (PA), 67-62, to send KU to the PSAC Championship Game for the first-time in school history.

Feb. 29, 2020. 15 Wins in the PSAC.
Senior Day at Keystone Arena was capped off with a 70-62 win over Shippensburg, earning KU its school-record 15th PSAC win of the season. It capped a four-year stretch of increased PSAC victories for the Golden Bears.