Nebraska women’s basketball coach Connie Yori earned a two-year contract extension after leading the Huskers to their fourth NCAA Tournament in the past six years and a trip the 2012 Big Ten Tournament Championship Game, NU Athletic Director Tom Osborne announced on Tuesday, June 12.

    Yori, who led Nebraska to the second-highest victory total in school history with a 24-9 campaign in 2011-12, had her current contract extended to 2017. The Huskers went 10-6 in their first season of Big Ten Conference competition and produced a runner-up finish at their inaugural Big Ten Tournament. Nebraska also earned a spot among a Big Ten-record seven schools in the 64-team NCAA Tournament field in 2012. The Huskers closed the season in the final Associated Press Poll for the second time in the past three seasons, ending the regular season at No. 22 in the rankings.

    “Although Connie still had three years left on her contract, we felt it was the right time to reward her for another strong season,” Osborne said. “We are continuing with Coach Yori to make a long-term commitment to the success of our women’s basketball program. We feel with the coming of the new Pinnacle Bank Arena and some talented young players already on our roster, the stability of our program could help attract even more talented student-athletes in the future. We also appreciate that Coach Yori recruits young women of high character who are interested in serving the Nebraska community while also performing well academically.”

    Yori previously received a three-year contract extension in May of 2010, after leading Nebraska to the best season in school history in 2009-10. Yori earned 2010 National Coach-of-the-Year honors from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, along with being named the Naismith Coach of the Year and the winner of the inaugural Kay Yow Award. She was also the 2010 Big 12 Coach of the Year after leading Nebraska to a 32-2 record that included a perfect 16-0 conference mark and a Big 12 regular-season crown.

    Yori’s Huskers were the first Big 12 men’s or women’s basketball team to complete an unbeaten regular season (29-0), Nebraska achieved the highest national rankings in school history (No. 3 AP/Coaches) and earned the program’s first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Huskers also advanced to the first NCAA Sweet 16 in program history.

    “I am extremely appreciative of the commitment Coach Osborne, Marc Boehm, our administration and the entire state of Nebraska have shown to our program,” Yori said. “After winning the Big 12 title in 2010, we opened the new Hendricks Training Complex in the fall of 2011, which has provided a tremendous atmosphere for our players. We believe it is one of the best practice facilities in the nation, and it definitely helped our players and our program as we transitioned into our first season in the Big Ten Conference in 2012. As we get ready to move into a new arena in 2013, we are excited about the direction of our program.”