APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University women's basketball program is celebrating its history during the 2025-26 season with a theme of "50 Seasons. 1 Family".
    Lawrence women's basketball, which started in the 1975-76 season, has a strong history that includes multiple conference championships and numerous outstanding players.  
    "We have an outstanding women's basketball program, rich with incredible achievements and remarkable individuals," Lawrence coach Riley Woldt said. "Since becoming head coach, I've had the privilege of meeting so many inspiring alumnae whose stories highlight not just their athletic accomplishments but also the lasting impact Lawrence and this program have had on their lives."
    Woldt, who took the reins of the program for the 2018-19 season, has overseen a resurgence with the Vikings. Lawrence has reached the Midwest Conference Tournament in each of the past two seasons and posted 18 victories in 2024-25.
    "I'm especially excited to celebrate the very first team that started it all — and to give everyone a chance to hear directly from many of our former players who have shaped this program over the past 50 years," Woldt said. "Their stories are powerful, and I can't wait to share them with the broader Lawrence community."
    Throughout the course of this season, the social media outlets for women's basketball will do weekly posts highlighting the team's past and present. The goal is allow the players who helped build the program tell their story, Woldt said. A page on the Lawrence athletics website will be dedicated to stories about the program and its players, and those stories will be put together by current Lawrence women's basketball player Josie Chose. Those stories will be available at: https://vikings.lawrence.edu/sports/2025/9/17/50-seasons-of-womens-basketball.aspx.
    That first group of Vikings, which included 16 student-athletes, was led by Mike Gallus. He coached the team through the 1978-79 season and put together a record of 46-21. Lawrence ushered in a very successful two decades when Amy Proctor was hired as the head coach in 1988. Proctor coached the Vikings to three league titles, two Midwest Conference Conference championships and one Lake Michigan Conference title. The Vikings also played in the 1999 NCAA Division III Tournament.
    Proctor is the winningest coach in Lawrence women's basketball history with a record of 247-192, and Woldt ranks second on the career wins list with 62. 
    The women's basketball program will celebrate its alumnae on January 17, 2026, with a 50-Season Celebration/Alumnae Day. Events for that day include a Women's Basketball Alumnae Game at Alexander Gymnasium, the Vikings' game against Monmouth College in the afternoon and an alumnae reception that evening.
    Lawrence begins its season on November 7 when the Vikings host North Park University at Alexander Gymnasium.