Laursen has coached over 1,000 career games, and won over 850 with an incredible .860 winning percentage overall and a nearly .950 percentage in the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC). Laursen, who is in her 31st year as head coach of the Lady Vaqueras, has won two national titles and has been to eight Final Four appearances. She has also led the Lady Vaqueras to 207 consecutive ACCAC victories and 22 straight Conference Championships.

"Russell Athletic is honored to congratulate Coach Lin Laursen, the 2005 RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA Junior College/Community College National Coach of the Year. With a deep commitment to supporting female athletes and elevating their athletic performance on the court, Russell Athletic shares Coach Laursen's passion for competition and devotion to preserving the integrity of sport," said Rod McGeachy, Vice President of Marketing for Russell Athletic. "We have the utmost respect and admiration for Coach Laursen, and we applaud her dedication to mentoring young female athletes on and off the basketball court."

Laursen is one of six RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA National Coaches of the Year selected by the Association, which also names winners for each of the other four WBCA collegiate divisions (NCAA Divisions I and II, NAIA and JC/CC) and high school. Each collegiate winner is selected through a two-level process. The first level is by region, in which coaches from each WBCA geographical region vote for their respective top coach. Laursen, having received the most votes in WBCA Region 7, advanced as a finalist to the national level of the selection process along with the other six RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA Regional Coaches of the Year in Junior College/Community College division.

Laursen and the national winners from the other five divisions will be presented to the WBCA membership at the RUSSELL ATHLETIC/WBCA Coach of the Year Luncheon on Tuesday, April 5 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. The luncheon is part of the 2005 WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Women's Final Four in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as an amateur sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.