LEVELLAND — Leading the South Plains College women's basketball program to one of the best seasons in program history, fifth-year Lady Texan head coach Cayla Petree has been named the whoopdirt.com Junior College Coach of the Year.

Petree led the Lady Texans to their second consecutive Western Junior College Athletic Conference title this season, their first outright title since 2013, while also capturing the Region V crown in Abilene, earning a No. 2 seed to the NJCAA Women's Basketball National Tournament with an overall record of 32-1.  

South Plains climbed to the top of the NJCAA women's basketball national poll for the second consecutive year, holding on to the top spot for four weeks during the regular season. Petree was honored as the WJCAC Coach of the Year for the second straight season on March 10 and was also tabbed as the United States Marine Corps/WBCA Two-Year College National Coach of the Year on March 11.

Petree's squad undoubtedly reached its full potential this season, with five players earning all-Conference honors, with four members from the 2019-2020 team inking Div. scholarships. Sophomore sharpshooter Sarah Shematsi signed with LSU on Nov. 13, while Caroline Germond and Channel Noah inked with TCU. The Lady Texans will also send 6-foot-5 center Ruth Koang to the South Eastern Conference next year after Koang committed to the University of Alabama on March 20.