Shannon (Schonrock) Swanson begins her sixth season as the assistant head coach of the Winona State women’s basketball team.
Swanson has helped bring about unprecedented success in Winona as the Warriors have posted at least 20 wins in three of her five seasons on the bench. She has helped lead the Warriors to the NCAA Division II Tournament in two of the last four years while winning the 2011 NSIC Tournament championship.
The Warriors recorded an 18-11 record in 2011-12, with Michelle McDonald earning All-American honors. McDonald became the first NCAA Division II All-American in Winona State history.
Winona State posted a 21-9 overall mark during the 2010-11 season. The team hosted a first round NSIC Tournament game for the third time in program history as well.
Swanson’s second season on the bench at Winona State proved to be a historic one. The Warriors set a school record with 24 wins and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history. The team posted its first NCAA postseason win, beating Colorado State-Pueblo 78-55. It was the first time Winona State had won 20 games in back-to-back seasons and the first time in school history the Warriors had recorded a winning record in three consecutive years. WSU also set a school record with an 11 game wining streak and hosted the NSIC Tournament for the first time.
In her first season at Winona State, Swanson helped the Warriors set a then-school record for wins in a season with 21. The 2007-08 resulted in a third place finish in the NSIC, with the Warriors hosting a conference tournament game for the first time in school history.
Swanson played basketball at the University of Minnesota from 2002-06. She played in every college game of her career for the Golden Gophers, including 102 consecutive starts and 107 games overall. Swanson was a three time Gopher team captain and Golden Gopher Most Valuable Player in 2006.
Swanson helped Minnesota reach the NCAA Tournament four times, and advanced to the Sweet 16 three times. Swanson played in the 2004 Final Four in New Orleans.
Swanson finished her collegiate career as a three-time member of the Academic All Big Ten team, as well as receiving 2005 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors. She was also selected as a two-time academic All-District honoree. Swanson graduated from the University of Minnesota as the school’s career leader in three-point field goals made (230) and three-point field goal percentage (39.7).
Swanson graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sport Management. In 2007 she earned a Master of Science degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Sport Management from the University of Minnesota.
Swanson lives in Arcadia, WI with her husband Colby.
