Kate Peterson Abiad Position: Head Coach Experience: 7th Year Alma Mater: Wisconsin-Stevens Point, `91

During her seven years at the helm of the Cleveland State women's basketball team, head coach Kate Peterson Abiad has systematically built a program that has been turned into one of the perennial contenders in the Horizon League.

The route to get there was not an easy one, however, as Peterson Abiad endured many highs and lows to retool and rebuild the Viking program into one of the top in the Horizon League.

And now that Peterson Abiad has established the Vikings as one of the top programs in the league, that is where the seventh year coach wants to keep it.

Last year, CSU advanced to the Horizon League semifinals for the second straight season, finishing 19-13 overall and tying for the second most wins in school history.

It marked the first time in 10 years that CSU played in the league semifinals in back-to-back seasons.

The Vikings also placed a program best third in the Horizon League with a school record 12 victories. With that success came several accolades as junior Kailey Klein was chosen as the Horizon League Co-Player of the Year, the first Viking to earn the award since 2000. In addition, Dominique Butler and Shawnita Garland were chosen as Co-Defensive Players of the Year.

It's no surprise that the duo was honored as Peterson Abiad has built her philosophy around a strong defense with a lot of ball pressure and a five-out motion offense, geared to wear down the opposition with constant movement and cutting.

In fact, it is not uncommon for Peterson Abiad to play five-guard sets, forcing other teams forward and centers to guard quicker players on the perimeter. During her tenure at CSU, she has often used a lineup where no player on the court is taller than 5-foot-10.

It was just two short years ago that Peterson Abiad's hard work and dedication on the recruiting trail, in the office, in the film room at practice and on the sidelines paid off when she led CSU to a 70-56 win over Wright State in the Horizon League Championship, securing the programs first bid to the NCAA Championship in school history.

CSU defeated Butler in the opening round and upset top-ranked Green Bay in the semifinals to reach the championship game. The Vikings finished 19-14 overall, falling at eventual national runner-up Stanford in the NCAA first round.

The 2007-08 campaign capped a remarkable turnaround as the Vikings were coming off an 8-22 season and were tabbed to finished eighth of 10 teams in the Horizon League preseason poll of coaches, sports information directors and media.

The 11-win turnaround was the fifth best in the nation, as well as the best turnaround from one season to the next in school history.

The accomplishments earned Peterson Abiad a five-year contract extension that will keep her with the Vikings through the 2012-13 season.

Named the sixth head coach in school history on April 25, 2003, Peterson Abiad has spent the last 18 seasons as an assistant or head coach at collegiate level. She has been part of four NCAA tournament team and two NIT teams, including the 1999-00 NIT Champions at Wisconsin.

After serving as an assistant coach for a combined 12 seasons at Indiana, Eastern Illinois and Wisconsin, she received her first collegiate head coaching job when she was chosen to lead the Vikings.

Peterson Abiad wasted little time in making a name for herself upon arriving in Cleveland, leading CSU to a 12-16 mark, including a then school-record nine league wins and a fourth place Horizon League standing in her first year at the helm. It marked the first time in five seasons that the Vikings finished better than .500 in conference play.

The success became tempered over the next three seasons, as youth and injuries forced Peterson Abiad to tinker with players and rotations. He Vikings won just 16 combined games over those three seasons.

An assistant at Wisconsin for six seasons prior to her arrival in Cleveland, Peterson Abiad served as the Badgers' chief recruiter, beginning in 1998.

Under head coach Jane Albright, Peterson Abiad helped the Badgers bring in two top-10 rookie classes during her final four years in Madison.

She was responsible for the signing and development of WNBA draftees Tamara Moore and Jessie Stomski and was instrumental to the Badgers inking Nina Smith, the 1999 USA Today National Player of the Year.

While in Madison, the Badgers advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times (1998, 2001 & 2002) and won the 1000 WNIT championship after falling in the title game the year before.

Prior to her stint at Wisconsin, Peterson Abiad was an assistant at Eastern Illinois for four years (1993-97), joining the staff as the chief assistant in 1993. She played a large role in the Panthers posting a 16-12 record and advancing to the conference semifinals in 1994-95--two years after the team won just two games.

During her tenure in Charleston, Ill., Peterson Abiad served as the recruiting coordinator, was responsible for scouting opponents and developed a strength and conditioning program. She also assisted with practice planning and implementation and coached individual workouts.

Peterson Abiad received her first coaching opportunity during a two-year stint at Indiana, helping the Hoosiers to a 30-25 record from 1991-93.

While at Indiana, she gained familiarity with the Big Ten, serving as a graduate assistant for one year and a restricted earnings coach. She later took on unexpected duties including scouting, on-campus recruiting and on-court coaching in 1992-93.

A native of River Falls, Wis., Peterson Abiad graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point where she earned honorable mention Kodak All-America honors as a senior in 1990-91. A four-year starter, she twice garnered all-conference recognition and set an NCAA Division III national record for three-point field goals made per game (3.85) during the 1990-91 season.

She was inducted into the UW-Stevens Point Hall of Fame in 2000.

Peterson Abiad earned her bachelor's degree in psychology from Stevens Point in 1991, and her master's degree in counseling and educational psychology from Indiana in 1995.

In addition to her college coaching experience, Peterson Abiad served as the coach for an Athletes in Action camp held in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 1992, and has worked a variety of summer basketball camps and served as the director of the UW-Stevens Point summer basketball camp in 1991.

Peterson Abiad lives in North Royalton with her husband, Phil Abiad, an assistant coach with the CSU volleyball program for the last 11 seasons, and their daughter Mea Grace.