Last spring marked the end of an era as women’s basketball head coach Linda (Burkart ’90) Schuck retired from 13 years of coaching the Eagles. Schuck, who decided to spend more time with her family, left as the program’s winningest coach, having amassed 216 career victories.

Schuck is the first NWC women’s basketball coach to surpass the 200-win mark. She is the owner of three Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Coach of the Year awards.

After wearing an Eagles uniform from 1988–1990, Schuck almost immediately took her place as assistant coach under Sherri Holm. Schuck began as head coach in 1997. During her tenure, more than 100 academic All-American, academic all-conference or scholar-athlete awards have been distributed to individuals on the Northwestern women’s basketball team.

“The success of Linda’s teams has gone far beyond the basketball court,” said Matt Hill ’89, Ed.D., vice president for Student Life & Athletics. “I have had the privilege to watch our student-athletes grow under her direction in their personal faith journeys, in the classroom and in the game of basketball.”

New head coach
Taking the reins from Schuck is Aaron Kahl, who this year became the sixth women’s basketball head coach in Northwestern history. Kahl joins the Eagles athletic staff after a three-year head coaching stint at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D. He began his coaching career at Gustavus Adolphus College, his alma mater, in 2001.

Greg Johnson ’05 contributed to this article.