SUMPT SELECTED FOR WECOACH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

At National Girls & Women in Sports Day, Wecoach announced five recipients of the award 2024-25 Lifetime Achievement, awarded by Jostens, and the late, legendary Pat Summitt is one of the chosen for the honor.

The prestigious Wecoach Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to women in sports who succeed at the highest levels of their respective careers, while also showing an unwavering commitment, groundbreaking spirit and trailblazing leadership to strengthen and pave the way for girls and women in all sports and Levels for breakthroughs for many generations ahead. This year’s class boasts over 200 years of coaching experience (and counting), over 5,000 wins and over 50 national and state championships.

SUMIT was elected with Jan Hutchinson, Bloomsburg University Head Field Hockey & Softball Coach (retired); Carmen Jackson, Miami Northwestern Senior High School Head Track & Field Coach; Dr. Ann Lebedeff, Pomona-Pitzer College Emerita Professor of Physical Education and Main TenNist coach (retired); and Tara Vanderer, Stanford University Head Women’s Basketball Coach (retired).

“The Lifetime Achievement Award Award Honor those who have not only distinguished themselves in their field but have also paved the way for future generations of leaders. This year’s winners are true pioneers – individuals whose advocate of women in coaching has broken barriers, items and created lasting change their unwavering dedication to expertise, empowerment and inclusion.

Recipients of previous life achievements include Jill Ellis, Muffet McGraw, Violet Palmer, Dr. Nikki Franke, Carol Hutchins, Jodi Manore, Missy Foote, Dr. Christine Grant, Bev Kearney, C. Vivian Stringer and Sister Lynn Winsor. Honorees 2024-25 will receive their specially designed awards by Jostens on May 19 in Denver, Colorado in connection with Wecoach-Ncaa Women Coaches Academies. Click here to learn more about Wecoach Lifetime Achievement Awards presented by Jostens.

A coach, whose acclaims and inheritance preceded her, became Summitt the winning most coach in the NCAA division in basketball history with 1,098 career gains, a record she held at the time of her retirement in 2012. During her 38-year office, Lady Vol Basketball led Dynasty, she won eight NCAA championships, placed five runner-up finishes and led her teams to a combined 32 Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament championships.

Tennessee made an unprecedented 31 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament and boasted 14 Olympic team members, 34 WNBA players, 21 WBCA/KODAK/STATE FARM All-Americans earning 36 Honours, and 39 all SEC players serving 82 Recognitions.

Together with success in court, Summitt’s student athletes had a huge productivity in the classroom. SUMPT had an exam of 100 percent for all Lady Vols that completed their justification in Tennessee. A total of 62 players who are mentored by Summitt in the UT program went on to basketball coaching or administrative positions. Her incredible body of work served her Naismith Women’s Collegiate Coach of the Century in the 1900s, National Coach of the Year Honors eight times, SEC coach for the year eight times with induction to several halls of fame, including naismith memorial basketball hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

After her diagnosis of early initial dementia, Alzheimer’s type, she devoted her time to raising awareness throughout the world about Alzheimer’s disease through the Pat Sumct Foundation. Valor Summitt demonstrated, while turning to her hardest enemy, earned her even greater admiration than she had achieved as the Hall of Fame coach. President Barack Obama honored her with the presidential medal of freedom and she received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. As a coach, mentor, mother figure, ambassador, trailblazer and role model, Pat Summitt was a Living Torchbearer. Hers is a light that cannot be turned off either. Read more about Coach Summitt here.