Wendy Larry Position: Head Coach Record: Overall: 552-196/24 seasons At ODU: 503-165/20 seasons

Success is synonymous with the Lady Monarch basketball...something Wendy Larry has achieved from every position possible. For Larry, the love affair with Old Dominion does not merely begin in 1987 when she was named head coach, but spans three decades full of history.

For Larry, the love affair with Old Dominion does not merely begin in 1987 when she was named head coach, but spans three decades full of history. From one of the first women student-athletes to receive grant-in-aid to the beginning of an illustrious coaching career as a graduate assistant to an assistant coach under one of the legends in the business to an impeccable list of achievements at the helm of a program, Wendy Larry has at the forefront of one of the biggest collegiate women's basketball programs in history. In her 30 plus years associated with Old Dominion her long list of accomplishments continue to grow. For Larry, the love affair with Old Dominion does not merely begin in 1987 when she was named head coach, but spans three decades full of history.

As the head coach of the Old Dominion women's basketball program now for over two decades, Larry's teams have reached astonishing 20 NCAA Tournaments, captured a NCAA record setting 17 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Titles, collected over 500 victories, and continue a historic and iconic Lady Monarch tradition year-in and year-out.

Considered one of the elite coaches in the continuing growing world of women's basketball, she has supplied further prestige and fame to what is the Lady Monarch women's basketball dynasty. Old Dominion teams have always been teams of ambition and determination with their passion to succeed found starting from the top down. Positioning herself as a true leader in her profession, Larry has led her teams to 19, 20+ wins seasons over her tenure. In 24 years as a head coach, she has compiled an impressive 552-196 record and as the head of the Lady Monarch program, has won an impressive 75 percent of her games (503-164). Her Old Dominion teams has been the dominate force in the CAA, including assembling what was known as the "The Streak," consisting of 113 consecutive regular and post-season conference victories from 1995-2001. The Lady Monarchs have gone undefeated in nine times and have never suffered more than three conference losses in a season.

Larry's achievements have not gone without recognition. She has been the recipient of nine Coach of the Year awards from three different leagues, most recently in 2008 with her seventh CAA Coach of the Year nod. She has also been recognized on the national level as well with WBCA District III, RCA, Sporting News, and United States Women's Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year accolades.

Returning to her alma mater as head coach of the Lady Monarchs in 1987, Larry immediately made her impact, being named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year as her squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament. During the next two seasons, Old Dominion collected over 20 wins each year and advanced to second round NCAA play, posting marks of 23-9 (1988-89) and 21- 10 (1989-90). In 1991-92, the team posted a 20- 11 mark and advanced to the NCAA East Region.

The following season saw Larry and Old Dominion reach the NCAA Mideast second round with a record of 22-8. The Lady Monarchs reached the East Regional Round with a 25-6 ledger in 1993-94 and then the Sweet Sixteen in 1995-96 with a 29-3 mark.

In the late 90's, Old Dominion enjoyed a resurgence of national success with an appearance in the 1997 NCAA National Championship game against the Lady Vols of Tennessee in Cincinnati, Ohio. Closing out the `90s, the Lady Monarchs were regulars in the "Sweet 16."

Larry's Lady Monarchs have remained a force to be reckoned with into the next century. Continuing their winning ways, Old Dominion remained the juggernaut of the CAA and danced onto "Elite Eight" in 2002 upsetting Georgia, Purdue, and Kansas State along the way, as well as a captivating "Sweet 16" march just last season. The Lady Monarchs enthralled a national ESPN audience in 2008 with a thrilling overtime upset second round victory over Virginia and Old Dominion finished the year ranked 10th in the both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Poll with a 31-5 overall record, the most wins since the Lady Monarchs' national championship appearance.

Larry's success stories have also transcended to the professional ranks. Nine of her former players have been drafted by the WNBA. Following the 2002 season, Larry witnessed four of her former Old Dominion student-athletes reach the pro ranks as Old Dominion joined Connecticut with the most athletes selected in the draft. In fact, once a Monarch, always a Monarch held true for former Lady Monarchs Ticha Penicheiro and Hamchetou Maiga-Ba as they won the 2005 WNBA Championship with Sacramento Monarchs. Maiga-Ba, now with the Houston Comets, will also be featured on the world's stage as she joins her native Mali national team to the Beijing Olympics in August of 2008.

Larry's impact has also reached the coaching ranks. Old Dominion legend and former assistant Anne Donovan led Charlotte in 2001 to the WNBA Finals, Seattle to the WNBA championship trophy in 2004, and she will serve as the head coach of Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Additionally, Alisa Scott, a six-year member of Larry's staff, served an assistant coach for the three-time WNBA Champion Houston Comets.

Prior to her current post at Old Dominion, Larry was the head coach at nearby Virginia Wesleyan College from 1978-79 and Arizona from 1985-87. She was named the PAC West Coach of the Year during the 1985-86 campaign as her Wildcat team posted a 19-9 record. In addition, Larry spent one year as the head coach at Cape Henry Collegiate High School in Virginia Beach.

Larry first returned to her alma mater under the guidance of women's basketball hall of famer Marianne Stanley for the 1979-80 season as a graduate assistant coach before being elevated to a full-time assistant. During that span, she was part of two Old Dominion national championships - 1980 (AIAW) and 1985 (NCAA).

An active member of several committees and boards away from the hardwood, she served a two-year term as President of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and is a member of the USA Basketball Collegiate Committee. She has also been involved with the USA Today Coaches Poll board, the NCAA East Regional Women's Basketball Advisory Committee, and the advisory committee for Coaches vs. Cancer.

Larry is also committed to many civic organizations through the Hampton Roads area. She has served on the Board of Directors for the Hampton Roads Habitat for Humanity and created the "Wendy Walk" to help raise money for Habitat's cause. Wendy and her team are also supporters of "The Buddy Walk of Hampton Roads," an effort to raise money and awareness of Down's Syndrome. She has also been involved with Coaches Care in an effort to help raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Larry also served as the honorary chair of the 2003 Race for the Cure in Hampton Roads. Her and her teams over the past years have been active with the annual race, as well as the annual "Hoops for a Cure" event at the Ted Constant Convocation Center, which helps raise money for the Tidewater Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

A native of Bloomingdale, New Jersey and a huge New York Yankees fan, Larry and her boat, Time Out, call Virginia Beach home.