ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul associate athletic director Regan McAthie has announced that Amanda Behnke has been retained as head women's basketball coach, shedding the interim tag following a successful second half of the 2015-16 season.
 
Behnke guided the Golden Bears to a 9-10 record after being named the interim head coach after the New Year, the ninth head coach in program history. Her finish included a 9-6 run in the season's final 15 games and an NSIC Sanford Health Tournament first round victory.
 
"We are proud to announce that Amanda will lead the program. She'll bring a lot of energy and her passion for Concordia is unmatched," said McAthie. "We are confident that Amanda is the right choice to continue the excellent tradition that our women's basketball program has established, because she's been a key part of that foundation first as a student-athlete and then as an assistant coach."
 
Behnke was in her fourth year as a coach in the program prior to being elevated to the interim role, the first two spent as a graduate assistant while earning a master's degree in sport management.
 
"I am absolutely thrilled to continue my coaching career at Concordia University. Concordia is a special place to me being a former student-athlete and I truly care about this University and the people here," said Behnke. "I want to thank everyone who believed in me for their strong support. This has been a very successful program and I will do the best I can to keep it that way. I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life."
 
One of the top post players in program history, Behnke was a two-time NSIC Player of the Year and two-time All-Central Region performer. She led the program to back-to-back NSIC regular season and tournament championships and an NCAA Sweet Sixteen (regional championship game). In the Sweet Sixteen campaign, Behnke was named a WBCA All-America honorable mention selection when she set the single-season scoring record (551 points) in 2006-07.
 
Upon securing her degree in business and marketing, Behnke went overseas to pursue a professional playing career in Australia for the Ringwood Hawks where she was the 2010 Big V League MVP and helped the Hawks to a Victoria State Championship.
 
She returned to campus in 2012-13 as a graduate assistant coach aiding the staff in the team's NSIC regular season overall and south division titles along with an NCAA Tournament appearance in her first year back as the team finished 23-7. In her second year on the staff, Behnke helped the Golden Bears capture the NSIC Tournament championship before the program secured its first-ever NCAA Central Region Championship and Elite Eight berth. The team finished 28-9 overall and ranked #12 in the final WBCA Division II Coaches Poll.
 
Prior to joining the Golden Bear coaching staff, Behnke served as an assistant coach at New Life Academy.
 
Behnke is an Eagan, Minnesota native and graduate of St. Croix Lutheran High School.