WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Coach Sandra Marbut will be entering her fifth season at the helm of Caltech. When she took over the program in 2003, the program was beginning only its 7th season of collegiate play. The program had sputtered for the entirety of its existence mainly due to the school's extremely high academic and admission standards. As one of the toughest schools in the US to gain admission to, Caltech's reputation isn't in the athletic arena. Upon Coach Marbut's arrival, there was only one player on the first roster who played in high school. Yet, Coach Marbut's "never say never" attitude and belief that a young woman can be a tremendous student and solid athlete has created a strong future. With the last three recruiting classes, Marbut will work with what has proven to be the best teams in Caltech history. In a 55-53 nail biter and its first conference win over Pomona, the Beavers made national headlines and went on to be seen on ESPN, the Hallmark Channel, and were recognized in Women's Basketball Magazine for their in.  Notching two conference wins, Caltech finished tied with Pomona Pitzer for 7th, marking Tech's highest conference finish in its history. The 2006-07 team owns the record books, put its first player on a SCIAC All Conference team, and will celebrate its first player to reach the 1,000 point scoring mark early in the upcoming season. The progress has been remarkable.

Coaching at every level of the NCAA and NAIA as either a head coach or assistant coach, Marbut has seen a variety of teams, and building programs has been her mark. Prior to Caltech, Marbut was an assistant at NCAA Division I Western Illinois where the Westerwinds appeared in the Mid Continent Conference tournament. Before WIU, Marbut was the Head Coach at NCAA Division II University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. While at UCCS, Marbut broke a number of recruiting records. Another program relying on her turn around expertise, she began a recruiting frenzy bringing in a record number of student athletes in her second season. Marbut moved to UCCS from NAIA Division II competitor Mount Saint Clare College. The story read much the same. In just two years, Marbut took the program from struggling to field a team, to a stable program which included a junior varsity squad.

Being a part of a starting program herself, Marbut learned the lessons she needed at her alma mater. As a player, Marbut was one of four student athletes to be the first to play four years and graduate from NAIA Division I Sheldon Jackson College, a small college in Sitka, Alaska. The program started with her recruiting class and in her four years she saw them grow from just five wins the first season to a playoff berth when she was a senior. She left SJC to spend a season as a graduate assistant at NCAA Division I Gonzaga University before returning to Sitka to spend a season as an Assistant Coach. All in all, Coach Marbut has seen all levels of collegiate play in both the NAIA and NCAA and has worked with countless players across the country, bringing more than ten years of coaching experience to the court.