As a new era prepares to embark at Texas State with its move to the Pac-12, a new head coach will guide the women’s basketball team into its next chapter.
Chris Kielsmeier, who was hired on March 31, was officially introduced as the new head coach of Texas State women’s basketball on the morning of April 24,at Strahan Arena by Athletic Director Don Coryell and University President Kelly Damphousse.
Kielsmeier takes over the program from Zenarae Antoine, who left San Marcos as the team’s all-time winningest coach with 225 wins after 15 seasons. Despite this impressive statistic, the Bobcats, have not seen much success recently,finishing with a record below .500 every season since their regular season title in 2023.
After Antoine exited the program on March 9, becoming the new head coach at Mary-Hardin Baylor, Texas State looked for a new leader with a proven track record of success, according to Coryell.
“We prioritized experience and results, seeking somebody who already understands the formula for building and sustaining a winning program,” Coryell said at the press conference. “That’s all Coach [Kielsmeier] does: he just wins.”
Kielsmeier, in fact, does have a history of winning. In the collegiate level, he has a career record of 594-196 and has led teams to the postseason 15 times, including NCAA Tournament appearances across the Division I, II and III levels. Most notably, he has a national championship under his belt thanks to an undefeated run with Brownsville, Texas-based DIII Howard Payne in 2008.
Most recently, he coached the DI Cleveland State Vikings of the Horizon League, finishing his time there with a 178-80 record over eight seasons, which included a dominating 77-8 home record, six 20-win seasons and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023. He departed from the program after a WNIT Great Eight loss to Arkansas State.
These feats made him a coveted choice among the college basketball landscape over the past several years; still, nothing fit the way Texas State did, especially as the university continues to invest in its athletic programs.
“Texas State is a sleeping giant, this place is different,” Kielsmeier said. “We know what we got here, and we can’t wait to show it.”
Damphousse spoke about the new era that the Bobcats will be stepping into as they enter the Pac-12 Conference, a move that called for a leader with a clear vision to steer women’s basketball in the right direction.
“Coach Kielsmeier joins Texas State at a pivotal moment for our university as we prepare to transition to the Pac-12,” Damphousse said. “This hire signals our belief in the women’s basketball program and our determination to compete at the highest level.”
The impact of Kielsmeier’s hire has already paid some dividends, as the Bobcats were able to retain key impact players. The squad’s two top scoring players will be returning for the 2026-27 season: sophomores Saniya Burks and Kyra Anderson.
Kielsmeier plans to bring the same mentality that has netted him success everywhere that he’s coached. He stated that women’s basketball is most fun to watch when it’s played at a high tempo with a level of physicality.
“We went to work on day one, and right away I was able to highlight some things that made a couple of our players faces light up,” Kielsmeier said. “It’s a different mindset that we’re gonna instill into our players.”
The standard will matter more than ever for Texas State as they prepare to enter the Pac-12. When pitching themselves to the conference, the Bobcats set lofty goals including reaching the NCAA tournament a combined seven times over the next decade between the men’s and women’s basketball programs.
Coach Kielsmeier understands the challenge laid out in front of him, yet he’s intent on raising the bar even higher.
