One of the most successful coaches in Mines women’s basketball history, Brittany Simpson enters her ninth season as the head coach at Colorado School of Mines in 2020-21.
Over the past eight years, Simpson has won over 100 games (132-98). This includes an active streak of five consecutive campaigns with at least 15 victories. She has led the Orediggers to six RMAC Tournament appearances including five straight dating back to the 2015-16 season. Simpson is also responsible for Mines’ first-ever RMAC Women’s Basketball title (2015-16) and the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance (2015-16) as she won RMAC Coach of the Year honors that same year as well.
As head coach, Simpson has helped her players earn a total of 22 All-RMAC awards including eight first-team selections, seven second-team honorees, one third-teamer and six honorable mention performers She also coached the 2019-20 RMAC Player of the Year, RMAC Academic Player of the Year and Summit Award winner Denali Pinto. Additionally, Simpson oversaw the development of 2013-14 RMAC Freshman of the Year Laura Tyree and 2018-19 RMAC Freshman of the Year Denali Pinto. Four of Mines’ 1,000-point scorers have surpassed the milestone under Simpson’s watch including Angie Charchalis (1,414) in 2013, Taylor Helbig (1,088) in 2015, Laura Tyree (1,175) in 2017 and Emily Bailey (1,070) in 2018.
Simpson led the Orediggers to arguably their greatest season in program history in the 2015-16 campaign. Mines finished 21-7 overall with a 19-3 mark in league play which brought home the first-ever outright RMAC Championship. The 2015-16 team set program records for wins (21), conference victories (19) and consecutive victories (13). Mines also advanced to its second-ever NCAA Tournament. On the national stage, the Orediggers were third in all of NCAA Division II in field goal percentage defense (33.5%), fifth in rebound margin (9.7) and sixth in rebounds per game (46.89). They led the RMAC in all those categories as well as blocked shots per game (4.0), total rebound (1,313) and offensive rebounds per game (15). The 2015-16 season also brought about two First-Team All-RMAC performers in Courtney Martin and Laura Tyree while Anna Kollmorgen was named to the All-RMAC Honorable Mention team.
Before taking over as head coach in April 2013, Simpson (formerly Rowley) served as an assistant coach at Mines from 2008-12. During her time as an assistant, Simpson mentored individuals to eight all-conference awards. She also was a member of the coaching staff that took Mines to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2009-10, at that time establishing the program record of 20 wins and equaling the top mark for conference wins with 14. Additionally, Simpson played a role in the development of two other 1,000-point scorers in Emily Dalton (1,403) and Brecca Gaffney (2006-11).
Prior to her arrival at Mines, Simpson was a graduate assistant at UCCS during the 2006-07 season. She also served as the assistant director of the Colorado School of Mines Women’s Basketball camps for four season and also served in a coaching role at the University of Colorado Individual Camp in 2011. On top of that, Simpson served as assistant director/lead coach at the UCCS Women’s Basketball Camp in 2007 and lead coach at the Mesa State Individual Camp in 2005-06.
As a player, Simpson was a standout at Mesa State (now Colorado Mesa) from 2002-06. She earned six RMAC All-Academic awards and two All-RMAC selections, including Second-Team All-RMAC West Division in 2005. The two-time team captain ranked 12th in NCAA Division II in three-point field goal percentage in 2005-06 (.421) and 21st in 2004-05 (.404). She finished her career as the Mavericks’ and RMAC’s career free-throw percentage leader at 89.1 percent, a record that stands to this day.
A native of Green River, Wyoming, Simpson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mesa State in 2006 and a MBA from UCCS in 2007. She and her husband Patrick reside in Littleton with their daughters Sawyer and Sloan.
