HOPEWELL, N.J. - Lindenwood's Amy Eagan has been named to the 2026 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year Award Watch List presented by Her Hoop Stats.
Eagan was named the 2024-25 OVC Coach of the Year after leading the women's basketball program to an appearance in the conference championship game. She guided the Lions to the third-best win improvement in Division I, finishing 23-11, 16-4 in the OVC.
Lindenwood earned two wins and reached the Super 16 in the WNIT. The postseason berth is the first for Lions at the Division I level.
Eagan coached a pair of All-Conference players in Ellie Brueggemann and Brook Coffey. Bruggemann was tabbed first team, while Coffey landed on the second and All-Newcomer squads.
Coaches must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be "mid-major." The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC. Additionally, Oregon State and Washington State remain ineligible this season as membership in the Pac-12 Conference evolves. Interim head coaches are eligible, though total games coached were taken into consideration.
The 10-person midseason watch list will be announced in January. The five finalists for the award will be announced in March, with the winner being named around the Final Four. Coaches will be assessed across the entire season, including postseason play. Beyond on-court success, other factors such as recruiting, preseason expectations, injuries, and tactical coaching will also be weighed when assessing each candidate. Inclusion on previous watch lists is not a requirement to be considered for future watch lists.