University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Women's Basketball
- Title:
- Head Women's Basketball Coach
- Email:
- Kristen.Mattio@unco.edu
- Phone:
- 970.351.1713
Kristen Mattio enters her sixth season leading Northern Colorado Women’s Basketball with a program that is on the rise and built for championship-level success. Known for developing elite competitors and building a relentless defensive identity, Mattio has positioned the Bears as one of the most dangerous and ascending teams in the Big Sky Conference. On November 23, 2024, she surpassed 200 career wins with an overtime upset over Big 12 opponent BYU, becoming the first coach in UNC’s Division I era to achieve that milestone. Under her leadership, the Bears have earned postseason opportunities in two of the last three seasons, signaling a program that is gaining momentum and built to compete at the highest level.
Mattio is coming off a historic 2025–26 season, leading the Bears to a 23–11 record, marking the second-most wins in a single season during UNC’s Division I era. Her team established itself as one of the premier programs in the Big Sky, finishing No. 1 in the conference in defensive performance and setting a new standard for toughness and identity.
The Bears produced three Big Sky All-Conference selections in Tatum West, Neenah George, and Heather Baymon, while continuing to demonstrate elite player development. Mattio’s program also added another milestone with Aniah Hall becoming the program’s third 1,000-point scorer under her leadership, joining Hannah Simental and Delaynie Byrne.
The 2025–26 team rewrote the record books, setting five single-season program records: most points (2,330), free throws made (462), offensive rebounds (462), steals (372), and steals per game (11.0). Junior forward Tatum West also set the single-season offensive rebounding record with 130, highlighting the team’s physicality and relentless effort.
Mattio also guided the Bears to a signature non-conference achievement, capturing the Wellnow Blue Demon Classic Championship with a victory over Big East opponent DePaul University. The team also recorded the most conference wins in Mattio’s tenure, signaling the continued upward trajectory of the program.
Since her appointment in May 2021, Mattio has led a steady rise in the program, highlighted by guiding the Bears to their first postseason appearance since 2018–19 in 2023–24 with a bid to the WNIT Tournament. Across her tenure, she has produced eight Big Sky All-Conference selections, coached three 1,000-point scorers — Hannah Simental, Delaynie Byrne, and Aniah Hall — and seen six players go on to play professionally, underscoring her commitment to player development and competitive excellence. Her debut season produced the program’s highest win total since 2018–19 and a spirited run to the Big Sky Conference Semifinals, knocking off #1 seed Idaho State.
During the 2022–23 season, Mattio mentored one of the youngest rosters in the country with eight freshmen, guiding that group through key development while securing notable wins over in-state rival Denver and a memorable 102–91 triple-overtime home victory against Colorado State.
Mattio’s players have also set the standard in the classroom. Three of her five years have resulted in WBCA Academic Top 25 recognition, and both the 2024–25 and 2025–26 seasons saw four Bears earn CSC Academic All-District honors, further reflecting the program’s commitment to excellence both academically and athletically.
Before coming to UNC, Mattio built a national powerhouse at West Texas A&M, compiling a 154–35 record over six seasons. She earned Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2018 and 2019, leading the Lady Buffs to LSC Tournament Championships and South Central Regional Championships in both seasons. Across her tenure, she captured four Lone Star Conference regular-season titles (2016, 2018, 2019, 2020) and two LSC Tournament titles (2018, 2019), while guiding the program to five NCAA Tournament appearances in six seasons and producing multiple All-Americans and conference players of the year.
Her coaching journey also includes successful assistant coaching stops at Northwest Missouri State, Fort Lewis College, Austin Peay, and Montana State, where she contributed to record-setting seasons and multiple NCAA Tournament runs.
As a student-athlete, Mattio starred as a point guard at Evangel University, where she captained the Eagles to two NAIA National Tournament appearances, three Heart of America Conference championships, and a Sweet Sixteen finish. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business from Evangel in 2003 and later a master’s degree in Wellness Leadership from Austin Peay.
