Brita Hand to lead Briar Cliff women to NAIA National Tournament

by Michelle Watson

For the first time since 2016, the Briar Cliff women’s basketball team will take the floor in the 2022 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship Opening Round.  The Chargers earned an at-large bid and are the number three seed in the Wichita, Kan. opening round bracket. They will face the number two seed Mid-America Christian in the first round on March 11 at 2 p.m at the Garvey Center.

  Brita Hand, who is in her second year as head coach of the Chargers, is a 2011 Clear Lake High School graduate.  While attending CLHS Hand was active in basketball, soccer and cross country.

In her first season with the Chargers, Hand guided the team to a 17-10 overall mark and 14-8 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The team finished fourth in the regular season conference standings and ended the year in the semifinals of the GPAC Tournament. A highlight from Hand’s first season included three wins over ranked teams.  

“I am super proud of this team and everything we have accomplished so far this year,” said Hand. “We played the 15th toughest schedule in the NAIA this year which says a lot about this team and how tough they are.”

Hand came to Briar Cliff from William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, where she served as the head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator from June 2019 to April 2020. The Statesmen went 25-7 in her season with the team and 19-5 in conference play. William Penn finished runner-up in the 2020 Heart of America Conference Tournament and qualified for the NAIA Division I National Tournament.  

Prior to her time at William Penn, Hand served in similar roles at Illinois College (2018-2019) and Truman State (2015-2018). In three seasons at Truman, Hand helped the Bulldogs to three conference tournament appearances.

  Hand began her coaching career as a student assistant coach at her alma mater, Ashford University, Clinton, Iowa. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Ashford and holds a Master of Arts in Leadership from Truman State with an emphasis in coaching.

Hand was one of two NAIA coaches named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Thirty Under 30 list for the 2019-20 season. The award recognized 30 up-and-coming women’s basketball coaches age 30 and under that have exemplified involvement in community service, mentorship and impact on others, professional manner, and attitude and professional association involvement.

Heading into the National Championship the Chargers are the number 11 overall seed in the Liston Quadrant and hold an overall record of 17-13  (13-9 GPAC). The Chargers last played in the NAIA National Tournament in the 2015-16 season when they made it to the Sweet 16. That was the sixth straight season the Chargers made it to the national tournament, advancing to at least the Sweet 16 each time. This is Briar Cliff’s 14th appearance at the tournament and they are 27-13 all-time in national tournament play.

“Being a part of a national tournament team is always a special thing.  Some coaches and athletes never get to experience something like this. Every college athlete aspires to play in a national tournament and every coach’s goal is to get their team there,” said Hand. “To bring this team back to the national level in our second year as a coaching staff at Briar Cliff says a lot about the hard work and buy-in we have been able to get from our team.”