Prairie Fire women's basketball coach Kira Mowen was recently honored by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) as a 2022-23 Coach of the Year Award Winner.
Mowen led the 2022-23 team to a program best 22-6 record. The Prairie Fire were 15-1 in the Midwest Conference (MWC) and co-champions in the regular season before winning their first ever conference tournament. They then played Loras in the first round of their first ever NCAA Tournament.
Knox boasted the best scoring defense in the league, allowing only 57.6 points per game. They also led the conference in scoring margin (10.7), rebounds per game (41.7 rpg), blocks per game (4.46), assists per game (15.61) and assist to turnover ratio (.95).
Prairie Fire seniors Catessa Duran and Kristin Herndonwere both named first team All-Conference, while first-year Kylee Callahan picked up the Newcomer of the Year Award for the MWC.
Herndon led the league in blocks per game (2.2) while racking up 13.2 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game.
Duran scored 10.2 points per game, hauled in 7.4 rebounds per game, and averaged 2.1 steals per game.
Callahan saw action in 15 conference games for the Prairie Fire and started 12, averaging 11.1 points on .409 percent shooting from the field, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.
The honorees will attend the IBCA Coach of the Year Award Luncheon at Illinois State's Redbird Arena on Saturday, May 6th.