The women's basketball program at Tarleton has a tradition-rich history, and the following story will take you on the journey of women's hoops teams at Tarleton.

It starts by recognizing the earliest records on file from the 1920s, when Tarleton competed in the junior college ranks, and continues through successful campaigns that included trips to the AIAW and NAIA Division II national tournaments. Finally, this story tells of how Tarleton's women have moved forward to yet another challege by competing at the NCAA Division II level as a member of the Lone Star Conference.


Tarleton women have recorded more than 500 senior college victories on basketball courts in Texas and across the nation since 1968.

This number is significant because many of those victories came against scholarship opponents while Tarleton played the majority of the past 29 years as a non-scholarship program.

Women's intercollegiate basketball was introduced at Tarleton from 1921 to 1925 under the direction of Coach Laura Fellman and recorded an undefeated season (8-0) in 1923.

But the modern era of women's varsity competition began in 1968 under Coach Sue Baker. In 1968-69 and 1969-70, the teams played a half-court game with six players to a team; four permanent players and two rovers who could cross the center line. In 1970, women's basketball went to the current five-player, full-court game.

From the 1970-71 season to the 1975-76 campaign, the TexAnns (as they came to be known) posted a 112-74 record. Included in that span was a state championship in 1973 when the team went 23-5.

The most heralded player from Baker's coaching years was Judy Gleaton, a two-time choice as the team's Most Valuable Player. Gleaton averaged 17.8 points a game in 87 games between 1970 and 1973 and is now a member of Tarleton's Athletic Hall of Fame.

When Sue Baker died in October 1976, Jan Lowrey took over the coaching of the team. A former MVP at Tarleton, Lowrey had played two seasons under Baker.

In Lowrey's initial season, Tarleton joined the non-scholarship TIAA. The TexAnns won 13 league titles before exiting the TIAA in 1991.

Leading the way for the TexAnns was Jennifer Washington, another member of Tarleton's Athletic Hall of Fame. She played from 1981 to 1985 and was twice named to NAIA All-America teams. The three-time Most Valuable Player holds Tarleton career records for points and rebounds.

Under Lowrey's direction, Tarleton reached the national playoffs five times.

In 1980 and 1981, the TexAnns participated in the AIAW Division III National Tournament and in 1984 went to the NAIA Nationals. In 1992 and again in 1993, Tarleton made it to the Final Four of the NAIA Division II National Tournament, finishing second in 1992 and third in 1993. The 1992 team posted a TexAnn record for wins in a season with a 30-8 mark.

Jennifer Washington (1981-85) is the school's all-time leader in points and rebounds. Kaelie Butler (1991-94) averaged more than nine rebounds per game during her three-year career.

Tarleton's 32-year women's basketball win total of 568 ranks the TexAnn program among the nation's top 20 in total wins. Sixteen of those 32 years have seen the TexAnns win at least 20 games. Ten former TexAnns have now been inducted into the Tarleton Athletic Hall of Fame.

The 1994-95 season marked a new chapter in TexAnn history as the program began play in NCAA Division II as a member of the Lone Star Conference. In 1996-97 Tarleton was eligible for the LSC title and post-season NCAA II play for the first time.

With three seasons under Claude Cummings, the team remained on the wrong side of a winning season.

In its first season under the direction of Ronnie Hearne, the program finished with a 14-14 overall record, while posting a 7-5 record in LSC division play to finish fourth. The 2003-04 campaign marked the second appearance to the Lone Star Conference Championship tournament for the TexAnns, since joining the conference in 1994.

The Tarleton women's basketball program finished their first season as an NCAA team with an 18-10 record and the team made another appearance in the LSC Championship tournament.

Tarleton then made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament in 2005-06 after the TexAnns finished 19-10 overall and 11-3 in the LSC South Division. The TexAnns lost to Emporia State in the opening round of the regional tournament, 85-67. Tarleton also made its third straight appearance in the LSC postseason tournament.

With the recent success under head coach Ronnie Hearne, the TexAnns are poised for another run at the conference and regional titles.