Tonja Englund enters her 24th season as head women’s basketball coach in 2023-24 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

The Blugolds continued their upward trend during the 2022-23 season as they made their second consecutive and 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. UWEC fell in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament to Whitman College in three overtimes by just four points. The Blugolds had four players earn All-WIAC honors with two earning first team recognition, one landing on the All-Defensive team, and one honorable mention. Englund also had one player named as a 2022 WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches All-America Honorable mention, one player named to the WBCA 2022-23 All-Star Team, and two players named as WBCA All-Region recipients. Jessie Ruden was named the WIAC's Judy Kruckman women's basketball scholar-athlete.

Entering the 2023-24 season, Englund’s 396 wins rank fourth most in WIAC history. In 2015-16 Englund became UW-Eau Claire's winningest women's basketball coach. Englund has four WIAC Championships in her tenure (2001, 2003, 2008, 2012) as well as six NCAA tournament appearances. 

Englund’s 2002-2003 season holds the school’s single season record for number of wins (32-2), earning her WIAC Coach of the Year and NCAA Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of Year. The Blugolds took 3^rd place in the nation that year.

In her time at UW-Eau Claire, Englund has coached 30 All-WIAC first team players, 13 All-Defensive, five WIAC Players of the Year, eight Judy Kruckman Scholar Athletes of the Year, 18 All-Region, eight All-Americans, and six Jostens National Player of Year Finalists. Several of Englund’s players have gone on to pursue coaching careers at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Englund’s teams also achieve highly in the classroom, with five teams during her tenure ranking in the WBCA Top 15 Academic Honor Roll nationally.  Since the 2001 season, Englund’s players have won the most Judy Kruckman Scholar Athlete honors in the league.

Twelve years ago, Englund also created the Blugold Women’s Basketball Fast Break club which yearly raises approximately $27,000 for the women’s basketball program and boasts over 180 members annually.  Englund’s teams also routinely lead the WIAC in home game attendance creating an outstanding home game atmosphere in historic Zorn Arena. The Blugolds have led the WIAC in home game attendance for seven years during Englund’s tenure including 2020, led the nation in home game attendance for three years and finished in the top 10 nationally 11 times during her tenure.

Englund was a highly decorated high school and collegiate player growing up in St. Paul, Minn., and starring for Hill-Murray High School, the University of Wyoming and the University of St. Thomas. She was a full scholarship player at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, a two-year starter, WAC All-Conference and WAC All-tournament as a freshman. In 1991 she led the University of St. Thomas to a national championship, earning All-Final Four Team Honors. She was All-MIAC, MIAC Co-Player of the Year, D3 Basketball News All-American, and Kodak All-American (HM) 1992. In 2015, she was inducted into the prestigious Hill-Murray Athletic Hall of Fame.

When she wasn’t on the court Englund earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education and coaching and her master’s degree in athletic administration from the University of St. Thomas. Prior to UW-Eau Claire, Englund taught K-12 physical education and was the Roseville Area Varsity Girls Basketball Coach for six years.

The Blugold women’s basketball team and coaching staff are extremely dedicated to service in the Eau Claire community and beyond.  Under Englund’s direction, the team works with programs such as Blugold Buddies, Reading in the Schools, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs, Feed My People, and volunteering at local youth basketball practices and participating the Stroll in the Park for Epilepsy.

The Blugold Girls Basketball and Leadership Camps, led and directed by Englund, attracts over 500 participants each summer as the entire coaching staff and basketball team work together to teach basketball fundamentals and leadership lessons in a unique camp setting. 

Updated: 7/6/23