Bethany Magazine - Spring/Summer 2023

Purfeerst takes helm of women's team

Emma Purfeerst was named head coach of the women's basketball team. As the associate head coach for the past five seasons, she has helped the Vikings win three UMAC tournament championships, and three UMAC regular season championships.

Jones was happy to see his colleague take over the program. He said, “I’m so happy that Emma will be leading the program. She’s been a critical piece of the program’s success during the past five years, and I’m confident she’ll be a strong leader for the women.”

Purfeerst is a 2014 alumna of Carleton College (Northfield, Minnesota) and was a four-year starter for the Knights women’s basketball team. She was also a two-year captain and recipient of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) All First Year Team honors and the MIAC Sportsmanship Award. Prior to her Bethany coaching duties, she served as an assistant for four seasons at Waverly High School in Nebraska where she helped the team to a Class B State Runner-Up finish in 2016.

Purfeerst’s résumé includes:

• Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) member

• Participant in the WBCA “So You Want to be a Coach” program

• Two-year participant in the WBCA Coach-toCoach mentorship program

• WeCOACH member

• Graduate of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy

Purfeerst is also an adjunct instructor at BLC in biology, exercise science, and physical education.

Purfeerst said, “I would like to thank President Gene Pfeifer and Co-Athletic Directors Pat Garvin and Ryan Kragh for selecting me to be the next women’s basketball coach at Bethany Lutheran College. I would also like to thank Lyle for his mentorship over the past five seasons. He allowed me to grow as a coach and has helped to prepare me for this transition. I am very excited to continue to build the women’s basketball program at Bethany.”