PRINCETON – Courtney Banghart, who has been part of Ivy League championship teams as both a player and coach, was introduced Thursday as the head women's basketball coach at Princeton University. She replaces Richard Barron, who left to become associate head coach at Baylor.

Banghart comes to Princeton after spending the last four years as an assistant coach at Dartmouth.

“I am excited for the opportunity to lead Princeton. I am very connected to the Ivy League and I believe in its values and what it stands for,” Banghart said. “Being able to continue building a women’s basketball tradition at Princeton is very exciting.”

Banghart is also a Dartmouth alumna, having earned her undergraduate degree from the college in 2000. She recently completed her master’s degree in writing and leadership development at Dartmouth.

“As a member of the University community, I am excited that Courtney Banghart will assume the reins of the women’s basketball program,” Walters said. “Courtney’s knowledge of the game and capacity for leadership are palpable strengths that made her an extraordinarily attractive candidate. She was a terrific player at Dartmouth and has been associated with winning programs all her life. It is our belief that the women’s basketball program will establish significant momentum under her leadership.”

In her four seasons as an assistant coach under longtime Big Green mentor Chris Wielgus, Banghart helped Dartmouth to two Ivy League championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2005 and 2006. The Big Green had an overall record of 70-44 in those four seasons and 41-15 in Ivy League play.

A three-year starter at Dartmouth, Banghart was an integral part of Ivy League championship teams in her junior and senior years of 1999 and 2000 while earning first-team All-Ivy honors both seasons. Banghart still holds Dartmouth records for three-pointers in a game (eight), season (97) and career (273) while also claiming the league standard for career three-pointers.

Between her stints at Dartmouth as a player and coach, Banghart led the girls’ basketball and tennis teams at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Va., for three seasons while also holding administrative positions at the school.

Banghart, a native of Amherst, N.H., is the ninth head coach in Princeton women’s basketball history as the program will begin its 37th season in the fall.

The Courtney Banghart File

Name: Courtney Rosholt Banghart

Age: 29 (b. May 11, 1978)

Hometown: Amherst, N.H.

College: Three-year starter at Dartmouth, graduating with a B.A. in Psychology in 2000 and an M.A. in writing and leadership development in 2007

Coaching Experience:
2003-07: Assistant Coach, Dartmouth College
2000-03: Head Coach, Episcopal High School (Alexandria, Va.)

Notable: Two NCAA Tournament appearances as a player and two as a coach ... two-time first-team All-Ivy honors (1999, 2000) ... Dartmouth and Ivy record holder in career three-pointers