Wendee Saintsing is beginning her 35th season as the women's basketball coach at Barton in 2023-24. Saintsing is 597-348 overall (.642) as Bulldogs' mentor and is the school's all-time winningest coach.
Saintsing is coming off leading the Bulldogs to one of their best seasons in school history last year. Barton went 28-2 overall, 22-1 in Conference Carolinas play and captured both the league regular season and tournament championships. The Bulldogs also advanced to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship for the fourth time in five years.
In 2020-21, the Bulldogs went 13-3 on the season and earned a trip to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Championship in a pandemic-shortened campaign.
Barton compiled back-to-back 24-6 seconds (2018-19 and 2019-20) in addition to a 23-9 mark in 2017-18. Over that three-year span, Barton earned consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament and captured both the 2018 Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship and the 2018-19 Conference Carolinas Regular Season Title.
Saintsing was honored in 2016 at the Conference Carolinas inaugural Legends of the Game banquet where she was given the Milestone Award. The award is given to a coach who has surpassed at least 200 career wins in soccer or lacrosse, 250 wins in basketball or volleyball, 500 wins in baseball or softball, or 15 years of coaching in the sports of golf, cross country or track and field.
In 2013-14, Saintsing was honored with election as chair of the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Committee. She will be the first Barton coach to chair a national committee since the school became an NCAA D-II member.
Saintsing has taken 10 teams to the NCAA Division II Tournament (2004, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022) while 27 of her 33 Bulldogs' teams have had winning records.
Barton made its third straight trip to the D-II Tournament and posted its fifth straight 20-win season in 2012-13 after recording a 21-8 record that included three regular-season wins over NCAA D-II Tournament participants.
The Lady Bulldogs won a fourth consecutive Conference Carolinas regular season title by claiming the Eastern Division crown in 2011-12 with a 14-3 record in league play. Barton earned its fifth trip to the NCAA Division II Tournament with a 21-win season that included a victory against a top-10 ranked team (Lander University on Nov. 19).
Coach Saintsing led the Lady Bulldogs to a banner season in 2010-11, winning a program-best 26 games. Barton finished 26-5 overall and 18-2 in the conference. Barton claimed its third straight Conference Carolinas regular season title and first Conference Carolinas Tournament crown in the program's NCAA Division II era. The Lady Bulldogs qualified for the NCAA Tournament and lost to the eventual national champions in the second round.
Saintsing was selected the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year for the second straight season in 2010-11.
As of the latest NCAA women's basketball record book published before the 2019-20 season, Saintsing ranked 12th among active DII coaches in victories and is 48th in win percentage. Saintsing has coached seven All-Americans (Karen Edmonds, Michelle McClure, Shemkia Reid, Keauna Vinson, Esty Flores, Nyeshea Willie and Shanika Peterkin), 21 All-Region players, 53 all-conference selections, 10 Conference Players of the Year and four Freshmen of the Year.
She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from High Point University, where she was a dual athlete in volleyball and basketball, and served as assistant coach in both sports her senior year. Both sports competed at the national level with basketball bringing home the national title.
She earned her master's degree from Appalachian State University where she was a graduate assistant in volleyball, basketball, and softball.
