Western Washington University Athletics

Carmen Dolfo enters her 35th season as the head coach at WWU in 2025-26 and has spent over 41 years at Western as a student-athlete, coach and administrator.

As the Vikings head coach Dolfo has guided the program to 19 NCAA II West Regional appearances and three trips to the NCAA Elite 8. The dean of Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches, Dolfo is an historic figure in WWU Athletics, having mentored 17 All-Americans and 74 conference all-stars during her tenure.

Dolfo recorded her 700th career victory on January 11, 2025 joining elite company in the 700-win club across college basketball.

The Vikings are in the midst of one of the best stretches in program history, building a 119-37 record (.763) over the last six seasons, which includes advancing to the NCAA West Regional four consecutive seasons. During this stretch dating back to 2019-20, Western has won a pair of regular-season GNAC titles (2021-22 & 2022-23) and two GNAC Tournament titles (2023 & 2024). WWU was the 2022 West Regional Champion, advancing all the way to the national championship game falling to Glenville State.

Dolfo owns a career record of 709-273 (.722), putting her amongst the elite active and all-time Division II coaches. She has led the Vikings to the NCAA Division II Tournament in 19 of 25 possible seasons, including trips to the Elite Eight in 1999-2000, 2012-13 and 2021-22. In 2019-20 Dolfo recorded her 600th career win on January 11 vs. Seattle Pacific in Carver Gym. She enters the 2024-25 season nine wins short of 700 for her career. She is a five-time GNAC Coach of the Year award winner (2002, 2006, 2011, 2013, 2022).

Dolfo, who is also in her 29th year as WWU’s senior women’s administrator, is the first person and one of just two overall to represent WWU in national tournament competition as a player, assistant coach and head coach in any sport, being a part of over 800 victories in those three roles.

With her 700th career victory, Dolfo became the 19^th active women's basketball head coach across all divisions of the NCAA to reach the 700-win mark and the 45^th all-time in NCAA history. Among NCAA II head coaches, she was the 5^th active and 7^th all-time to join the 700-win club

Here is where Coach Dolfo ranks amongst in the NCAA in several categories, with rankings from prior to the start of the 2025-26 season:

• Most Wins Among Active Coaches (All-Divisions): 18th (709-273/.722)
• Winningest Active Coaches (Division II): 5th (by wins), 10th (by pct.)
• Winningest All-Time Coaches (Division II): 13th (by wins), 32nd (by pct.)
• Most 20-Win Seasons (Division II): Tied for 5th (24)

WWU won its sixth GNAC regular-season title in 2022-23 and were back-to-back GNAC Tournament Champions (2023 in Bellingham, 2024 in Ellensburg). 

WWU won its fifth GNAC regular-season title in 2021-22 and advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating conference rivals Alaska Anchorage and Central Washington, and No. 1 seed and regional host Cal State East Bay in the NCAA II West Regional Championship in Hayward, California.

The Vikings have reached at least the semifinal round of the GNAC Championships each of the last five seasons (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22), including playing for the conference title in the past four tournaments. WWU earned an at-large berth to the NCAA II Championships in 2019-20 as the No. 7 seed in the West Region, but the tournament was canceled before it started due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

WWU was a perfect 6-0 during the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season.

In 2017-18, WWU earned the 1,000th all-time win in program history with a 69-58 victory over Saint Martin's on Jan. 13. According to available records, WWU became the 15th women's collegiate basketball program (across all divisions and classifications) to reach the milestone. Over the 49-year history of the program, WWU is 1,044-380 (.733) with 35 seasons of 20 or more wins. Dolfo has led WWU to 21 seasons with 20-or-more victories.

In 2016-17 the Vikings recorded another 20-win season, the 20th during Dolfo's tenure, going 26-6 and advancing to the semifinal of the NCAA II West Regional. The Vikings were led by first-team All-American Taylor Peacocke, who became the third player in WWU history to earn GNAC Player of the Year honors. The Vikings had a 17-game winning streak from Dec, 19-Feb. 16, the 4th-longest winning streak in program history. WWU advanced to the GNAC Tournament championship game, falling to Alaska Anchorage. 

During the 2015-16 season she became the winningest head coach in WWU history when she registered her 519th career win on December 3, 2015 vs. the University of Alaska. Dolfo passed former WWU men's coach Brad Jackson as the all-time leader in coaching victories in school history. 

In 2014-15, Dolfo became the first four-year college women’s coach in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Oregon and Washington) to record 500 victories at one university in those states (71-50 win over Southern Indiana on 12/19/14). 

Dolfo became WWU’s head coach in 1990 after four seasons as an assistant. She has directed the Vikings to 20 seasons of 20 or more wins, ninth all-time among NCAA II coaches, and 25 postseason appearances.

Dolfo's Milestone Victories:
#1 - 11/16/90 (67-54 vs. Chico State - Los Angeles)
#100 - 12/1/95 (80-57 vs. Whitworth)
#200 - 12/3/00 (76-59 vs. Alaska Anchorage)
#300 - 2/24/05 (2/24/05 at Central Washington)
#400 - 11/20/10 (58-24 vs. San Francisco State - Seattle)
#500 - 12/19/14 (71-50 vs. Southern Indiana - Las Vegas)
#519 - 12/3/15 (90-59 vs. Alaska) - becomes all-time winningest coach in WWU history
#550 - 1/21/17 (63-59 vs. MSU Billings)
#600 - 1/11/20 (73-60 vs. Seattle Pacific)
#700 - 1/11/25 (67-65 vs. Central Washington)

In 2012-13, Dolfo was named CaptainU Division II National Coach of the Year as WWU posted a 29-4 record and reached the semifinals of the NCAA II Elite Eight, won GNAC regular- season and tournament titles and the West Regional championship. 

In 1999-2000, Dolfo guided the Vikings to a 27-4 ledger and the national semifinals, winning Pacific West Conference and West Regional championships. Besides those two regional titles, Dolfo directed WWU to the regional finals in 2002, regional semifinals in 1999, 2001, 2005, 2006, and 2012; and the first round at regionals in 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014.

Selected to the Vikings' all-time basketball team for the school's first 100 years, Dolfo was named Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NCAA II West Region Coach of the Year in 2010, 2011 and 2013, GNAC Coach of the Year in 2002, 2006, 2011 and 2013; Little All-Northwest Coach of the Year in 2000 and Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference (PNWAC) Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996.

In 1995-96, Dolfo directed WWU to the NAIA Division I National Tournament quarterfinals and in 1997-98 to a first round national appearance.

Dolfo came to WWU in 1984 after spending two seasons competing at Biola University, and played two years of basketball for the Vikings, earning NAIA All-America honors as a senior, averaging 16.8 points a game on a team that reached the national quarterfinals.

She also lettered three years at WWU as a setter in volleyball.

In her four years of basketball, Dolfo scored 1,757 points and grabbed 896 rebounds.

Dolfo then became an assistant coach under legendary coach Lynda Goodrich from 1986 to 1990. The Vikings had a 95-28 record (.778) in that time, and again reached the NAIA quarterfinals in 1989.

Dolfo has served two three-year terms on the WBCA Board of Directors. She has served on the Kodak All-American Selection Committee as well as the WBCA national rating committee and the West Region rating committee.

Dolfo grew up in Penticton, B.C., where she led Penticton High School to the provincial championship as a senior. She earned a bachelor’s degree from WWU in 1986 and a master’s in student personnel administration in 1996. Dolfo and husband John Garrison have two daughters, Kennedy and Aspen, and one son, John Grey.

Here is a look at Dolfo's year-by-year record as the head coach of the Vikings: