Tonja Englund enters her 26th season as Head Women’s Basketball Coach in 2025-26 at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Englund is among the most successful active women's basketball coaches in NCAA Division III. She enters 2024-25 with the fourth-most coaching victories in the history of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, holding a career 406-236 mark. At the time of her 400th victory, Englund became one of only 35 active Division III coaches to hit the milestone. She has guided UW-Eau Claire to four WIAC regular season championships (2001, 2003, 2008, 2012) and two WIAC Tournament championships (2003, 2022). The Blugolds have competed in seven NCAA Tournaments under her guidance, including a run to the Final Four in 2003 — where they eventually finished third in the nation.
Englund was named the Russell Athletic/Women's Basketball Coaches Association National Coach of the Year in 2003. She is one of only five WIAC coaches to ever receive a national coach of the year honor. Englund has also been named WIAC Coach of the Year twice, earning the honor in 2003 and 2021. She became UW-Eau Claire's winningest women's basketball coach in the 2015-16 season.
Under Englund, the Blugolds have produced 10 All-Americans, 21 All-Region players and seven Jostens National Player of the Year finalists. No other Division III programs have had as many finalists for the Jostens trophy in that span. Englund has also coached 40 All-WIAC selections, 21 WIAC All-Defensive honorees, six WIAC Players of the Year and nine Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athletes. Since the 2001 season, Englund’s players have won the most Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete honors in the league.
Several of Englund’s players have gone on to pursue coaching careers at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Englund’s teams also achieve highly in the classroom, with six teams during her tenure ranking in the WBCA Top 20 Academic Honor Roll nationally.
Englund has fostered a strong women's basketball community on and off campus. Fifteen years ago, Englund also created the Blugold Women’s Basketball Fast Break club which yearly raises approximately $27,000 for the women’s basketball program and boasts over 180 members annually. The Fast Break club has now raised over $475,000 for the women’s basketball program. The Blugolds have also regularly ranked in the upper echelon nationally for attendance during Englund's time leading the program.
The Blugold women’s basketball team and coaching staff are extremely dedicated to service in the Eau Claire community and beyond. Under Englund’s direction, the team works with programs such as Blugold Buddies, Reading in the Schools, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs, Feed My People, and volunteering at local youth basketball practices and participating the Stroll in the Park for Epilepsy. The Blugold Girls Basketball and Leadership Camps, led and directed by Englund, attracts over 700 participants each summer as the entire coaching staff and basketball team work together to teach basketball fundamentals and leadership lessons in a unique camp setting.
Englund was a highly decorated high school and collegiate player growing up in St. Paul, Minnesota, and starring for Hill-Murray High School, the University of Wyoming and the University of St. Thomas. She was a full scholarship player at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, a two-year starter, WAC All-Conference and WAC All-Tournament as a freshman. In 1991 she led the University of St. Thomas to a national championship, earning All-Final Four Team Honors. She was All-MIAC, MIAC Co-Player of the Year, D3 Basketball News All-American, and Kodak All-American (HM) 1992. In 2015, she was inducted into the prestigious Hill-Murray Athletic Hall of Fame.
When she wasn’t on the court Englund earned her bachelor’s degree in physical education and coaching and her master’s degree in athletic administration from the University of St. Thomas. Prior to UW-Eau Claire, Englund taught K-12 physical education and was the Roseville Area Varsity Girls Basketball Coach for six years.
