Rachelle Sayers became the Head Coach of Carroll College's Women's Basketball team in 2011.
LAST SEASON: The 2024-25 Carroll Women's Basketball team once again earned a spot in the NAIA Women's Basketball Championship. Following a 19-win campaign, the Saints drew a 10-seed for the 2025 tournament, eventually falling in the opening round to Wayland Baptist (Texas). On the court, the Saints had three All-Conference selections, and for the third-straight season, boasted the Frontier Conference Player of the Year. Kyndall Keller was named POTY following an outstanding senior season in which she led the conference in scoring through league play. Keller was joined on the First Team by Willa Albrecht, while senior guard Addi Ekstrom was tabbed Second Team All-Conference and a member of the Frontier All-Defensive team. Keller became the 14th member of the CCWBB 1,000-point club, finishing her career at No. 21 on the all-time list. Keller was named a Second Team NAIA All-American for her outstanding efforts in the 2024-25 season. Sayers hit a new personal, and program milestone, becoming the first Women's Basketball coach in program history to eclipse the 300-win mark. She joins Carroll Hall of Famer, Gary Turcott, as the only two coaches in school history to earn 300 or more career victories.
The 2023-24 Fighting Saints went down as the most prolific team in the 50 year history of the program. Following a 14-1 record in league play, the Saints won the Frontier Conference Championship, finishing the season ranked No. 6 in the NAIA National Coaches' Poll. Jamie Pickens was named Frontier Conference Player of the Year, and three additional Saints were named All-Conference performers. For the second consecutive season, Sayers was named Frontier Conference Coach of the Year, and Carroll drew a two-seed for the NAIA WBB Championship. The Fighting Saints became the first team in program history to advance to the NAIA Semifinal game, finishing the season with a record of 28-6. Maddie Geritz was named to the NAIA All-Tournament team. Jamie Pickens became the first Fighting Saint to be named First Team All-American two seasons in a row, and was also honored as the NAIA WBB National Player of the Year.
The Saints enjoyed a tremendous run of success in the post-Covid era. From 2022-2024, Carroll advanced to the NAIA WBB Championship Round of 16 three times. The program record book was essentially re-written with the impressive on-court performances of Kamden Hilborn (Assists, Assists/game), Sienna Swannack, Christine Denny, Dani Wagner, and Jaidyn Lyman.
Prior, Sayers guided her team to a consecutive season where the Saints won the Frontier Conference postseason title. The Saints went 26-8 and advanced to the Second Round of the NAIA tournament. Senior forward Hannah Dean became the only first-team All-American in program history, while Christine Denny was named honorable mention.
She's helped the Saints win Frontier Conference regular season titles -- outright or split -- during the 2017-18 and 2019-20 seasons, and a Frontier Conference Tournament Championship in 2018-19. She's pushed the Saints to five national tournament appearances, reaching the Second Round three times. She's coached 12 players who have become first, second, third or honorable mention All-Americans.
Prior to her arrival at Carroll in May of 2011, Rachelle spent 14 seasons at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, including the last five as the associate head coach.
During her time at Weber State the Wildcats won a pair of Big Sky regular season titles and two Conference Tournament Championships to earn two trips to the NCAA National Tournament. As an assistant coach with the Wildcats, Rachelle oversaw recruiting as perimeter player development.
Rachelle was a four-year standout at Weber State and a two-year starter from 1993-96, playing for coach Carla Taylor. She led the Wildcats in scoring her junior year with 14.9 points per game and was named to the Big Sky All-Conference First Team. The second leading scorer her senior year (11.8 ppg), she helped lead the Wildcats to a second place finish at the Big Sky Championship and earned All-Conference honors for the second straight season. Rachelle is currently the 14th all-time leading scorer in Wildcat history with 1,009 career points. She ranks fifth in Weber State history in career three-pointers made with 149 and is ninth in school history in three-point percentage at .323. Rachelle was also a Big Sky Academic All-Conference selection for two years and the WSU team MVP in 1995.
Rachelle is a native of Absarokee, Montana. She graduated from Weber State in 1997 with a degree in English and in 2006 with a master’s degree in Business Administration from Regis University. Rachelle is married to Keith Sayers and together they are the proud parents of two daughters Keetyn and Taylor and twin boys, Reddic and Rieker.
BY THE NUMBERS:
Seasons: 13
Record: 300-134
Overall Collegiate Record: 300-134
Carroll Year-By-Year:
Year W-L
2024-25: 19-12
2023-24: 28-6 (Frontier Conference Champions)
2022-23: 27-6 (Frontier Conference Champions)
2021-22: 27-8
2020-21: 21-3 (Frontier Conference Champions)
2019-20: 21-10 (Frontier Conference Champions)
2018-19: 26-8
2017-18: 25-8 (Frontier Conference Champions)
2016-17: 18-13
2015-16: 22-9
2014-15: 18-11
2013-14: 14-14
2012-13: 21-10
2011-12: 13-16
