Women’s basketball Head Coach Mary Orsted announced her resignation last Monday, prompting a nationwide search for a replacement.

“We evaluate programs and make changes at the end of the season, and Mary submitted her resignation as head coach,” Director of Athletics Irv Cross said. “It wasn’t a sudden discussion. It’s an ongoing thing we go over all the time.”

“This season we were just playing, not knowing if we [and Orsted] were all on the same page,” player Sarah Hill ’07 said. “Something needed to happen, even though it was sad that it took a resignation to make things change.”

Orsted was head coach for the past six years and assistant coach for two years. Before that, she attended college and played basketball at the University of Minnesota.

“My options are wide open right now,” Orsted said. “I need to take time to regroup and refocus and decide whether I want to stay in coaching.”

Orsted declined to answer questions about the reasons for her resignation. She called her athletes to inform them of her decision but did not explain her decision to them, leaving some of her players with questions.

“A lot of us felt like a change was coming, but we didn’t know what it would be,” basketball player Sara Entgelmeier ’05 said. “We’re all curious, but we’re looking more to the status of the team next year.”

The team finished with a 1-24 record this season. “It’s tough when you want to win and we’re not winning,” Orsted said.

Cross and Assistant Director of Athletics Vanessa Seljeskog met with the team last Wednesday to discuss Orsted’s decision and the future of the team.

Basketball player Sarah Jacoby ’04 cited low student interest as a key problem for the team. The team started with 10 players this year and had only eight at the beginning of last season. “Hopefully a new head coach will bring the enthusiasm back into the program that I think it was lacking,” she said.

“We think it’s really important to get input from the team,” Jacoby said. “We all want a coach who will work hard to make Macalester women’s basketball competitive again.”

“At this point I’m looking for a coach with a focus on not just winning, but controlling how you get there,” Hill said.

Experience and understanding the importance of academics at a school like Macalester are two main criteria for a new coach, according to Entgelmeier.

The Athletics Department will advertise the coaching job within the Macalester community first. If this fails, the Athletic Department will launch a national campaign.

A search committee of coaches, athletes, faculty and staff will conduct interviews to narrow down the list of finalists. Cross said he hopes to have a final decision made by May 1.

“We want someone who’s going to work hard and who’s excited about coming in,” Entgelmeier said. “It’s going to take a lot of work, but it’s not a lost cause by any means.”