NEW ALBANY, Ind. – Abby Downard has been named the IU Southeast head women's basketball coach, athletic director Tod Bannister announced.
 
"Abby emerged from a strong pool of candidates," Bannister said. "We were impressed with her competitiveness and her initiative. I feel she will make a positive impact on the lives of our student-athletes and elevate the program through her passion and knowledge of the game."
 
"I'm super grateful for this opportunity to coach this group of young women and represent IU Southeast," Downard said. "We are excited to get to work and compete from day one! I think all the right people are in the right place to make this program something really special."
 
Downard comes to IU Southeast from Purdue, where she was a graduate assistant for the women's basketball team. Downard assisted the program in the day-to-day basketball operations, which included setting up practices as well as handling the practice squad and opponent scouting.
 
Downard was reunited with Katie Gearlds at Purdue. Gearlds was Downard's head coach at Marian University for four seasons, where the duo went 114-22 with four conference regular season championships, two conference tournament championships and four NAIA National Tournament appearances.
 
Downard finished her time at Marian with a 144-27 career record, making the NAIA Tournament five times. She was an NAIA All-American in 2020 and was All-Conference First Team three times.
 
She appeared in a school record 143 games for Marian, scoring 1,456 points. Downard also had 658 assists and a school record 291 steals. She is fourth in program history in scoring and third in free throw percentage.
 
Downard joined Purdue after a stint as an assistant coach at Franklin College.
 
Downard played high school basketball at Cardinal Ritter, where she set the all-time scoring record.
 
What coaches are saying about Downard:
 
"Abby is one of the most competitive people I have ever been around, her desire to outwork anyone is second to none," Purdue head coach Katie Gearlds said. "After having watched her as a member of my Purdue staff, her rapport with our student-athletes and her knowledge of the game will have her ready to excel the moment she hits the IU Southeast campus. Abby is a winner and a great young coaching mind; she is going to be a star in the profession."
 
"Abby Downard is going to do a remarkable job at IU Southeast," NKU head coach Jeff Hans said. "She will lead and guide her team with passion to make them the best they can become on and off the court. I have no doubt that Abby will bring the same level of competitiveness to the program that she displayed as a player."