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2006-2007 Final Records:
5-16 MIAC, 7-18 Overall


Opportunity knocks, and Cardinal coach answers;
Stimmel steps down to accept spot at Mount Mercy

Shawn
Stimmel
Steps down
as Cardinals'
head coach
WINONA, Minn. — When Shawn Stimmel accepted the position as head women's basketball coach at Saint Mary's University, one of the driving forces was the opportunity to get closer to family — both his and his wife's.

After all, King College in Bristol, Tenn., was a long ways from Iowa City, Iowa.

Stimmel helped guide the Cardinals to a 7-18 overall record in his first — and what proved to be only — year as SMU's head coach.

Monday afternoon, Stimmel announced that he was leaving Saint Mary's to accept the head women's basketball coaching position at Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

A move that would bring the Stimmel family that much closer to home.

"Mount Mercy is a perfect fit for me," said Stimmel. "My wife (Jess) and I are both from the Iowa City area and being able to live near friends and family is extremely important, especially now that we have two young children (Caden, 2; and Bella, 2 months)

"I've enjoyed my time at Saint Mary's and feel like the program is headed in the right direction," Stimmel added. "We had a great group of ladies who worked extremely hard and really started to play well at the end of the season."

Prior to his arrival at Saint Mary's, Stimmel spent two years as the head women's basketball coach at King College in Bristol, Tenn., where his Lady Tornado won 38 games — including just their second 20-win season in 11 years in 2005-06. King College also earned its first-ever NAIA Top 25 national ranking (22nd) and boasted eight academic all-conference selections under Stimmel.

"Leaving Saint Mary's was not an easy decision — Mount Mercy just presented an opportunity I couldn't pass up," said Stimmel, who replaces Shawn Gilbert as the Mustangs' head coach and inherits an NAIA Division II team that went 21-9 a year ago. "Mount Mercy has a great tradition of success in women's basketball. I feel like the athletic department, under the direction of athletic director Scot Reisinger, and with the support of their new president, Dr. Christopher Blake, is moving in a positive direction, and I am looking forward to being a part of it."

SMU athletic director Nikki Fennern noted that a national search for Stimmel's replacement will begin immediately, with the goal of having a new coach in place by early May.

"Coach Stimmel made a tremendous impact on Cardinal basketball in his short stay here," Fennern said. "That impact will continue to influence the future of the program."