Gail Striegler

Gail was raised on a farm in Fayetteville, Arkansas, which taught her a strong work ethic and that things in life do not come easy. She learned early in life that a person had to work hard and strive to meet the goals that you want to achieve. Gail attended Ramay Junior High and Fayetteville High School. She excelled in track and basketball at both schools. Her amazing and consistent excellence in both sports gained her All-Conference and All State in Basketball as a junior and senior and she was named the Most Valuable Player in the 4A State Tournament as a junior although her Lady Bulldogs were defeated in the finals of the 4A State Tournament. Gail was named the Prep All-American Girl athlete in the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. She was named All-State in track in 1984-85 and Honorable Mention All American in track in 1985. Gail was elected to the Colors Day Court in 1985.

After high school graduation, Gail attended the University of Central Arkansas on an athletic scholarship. She was a four year letter winner in basketball and track and field, All- Conference for four years in track and field, and in 1989, she was All Conference and NAIA All District. Striegler earned All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference honors in 1988-89. She was inducted into the Central Arkansas Hall of Fame in the fall of 2006. Gail holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from the University of Central Arkansas and Master of Science degree in the same discipline from the University of Arkansas.

Gail began her women’s basketball coaching career in 1990 at the University of Arkansas as a graduate assistant where she took part in on-court workouts as well as on-campus recruiting and public relations. She was part of the University team that posted a 28-4 record en route to winning the Southwest Conference regular season and tournament championships and advancing to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Gail was named the assistant coach at Northwestern State in LA. She remained in this position for three years before moving to Stephen F. Austin as an assistant for five years where she guided her teams to three conference championships and eight NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 run. In 1999, Striegler was named the head coach at University of Central Florida. During her head coaching tenure at the University of Central Florida, she was twice named Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year.

After seven years in Florida, Gail made her way to Georgia State as an assistant. One year later she was named the head coach at Long Island University in New York. She held this position for seven years and established herself as the winningest head coach in Long Island University women’s basketball history, before taking the assistant’s job at the University of Minnesota in the Big Ten conference, where she coaches today. It is widely known among high school and college coaches, that Gail always brings with her a wealth of coaching experience, including a strong passion for the student- athlete. Always aware of community and commitment, Gail has volunteered with the March of Dimes, Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Boys and Girls Clubs, Hoops for Scholars, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.