Nova Southeastern University Athletics

Nova Southeastern women's basketball head coach LeAnn Freeland-Curry enters her thirteenth season at the helm in 2024-2025. Over the last ten years, the Sharks earned four trips to the NCAA Elite 8. This feat ties two other NCAA Division II teams for the most Elite Eight appearances in the last decade. In ten seasons at NSU, Freeland-Curry has a 274-123 NSU record and a 363-158 overall mark in 15 seasons as a head coach.

In the 2024-2025 season, highlighted in the early part, Freeland-Curry earned her 250th win as the Head Coach of the Sharks against Clayton State on November 15th. The Sharks broke the program record for most points in a single game, scoring 111 points against Clayton State. Freeland-Curry led the Sharks to a 25-6 season, finishing 3rd in the SSC with a conference record of 16-4. NSU fell in the SSC Tournament finals to Embry-Riddle, 55-51. Freeland-Curry helped lead the Sharks to earn the No. 3 seed in the South Region Tournament, making it back-to-back appearances for Freeland-Curry and the Sharks for the first time since they were there three consecutive season from 2013-2015. Freeland-Curry coached Aubrey Stupp (1st Team) and Payton Graber (3rd Team and All-Defensive) to All-SSC Teams. Graber also selected for the D2CCA All-South Region Team.

The 2023-2024 season was one to remember for NSU as head coach Freeland-Curry guided the Sharks to a 25-6 overall record and an 18-2 SSC record. Nova Southeastern made its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance while achieving a program-record 20-game winning streak in the process; they also ranked as high as #11 in the WBCA Rankings. NSU won the SSC Regular Season Title for the first time since they won back-to-back Regular Season Titles in 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Sharks earned the No. 4 seed in the South Region Tournament, where they advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Freeland-Curry won her third SSC Coach of the Year, the first since the 2015- 2016 campaign. Five different Sharks received SSC honors, which included Nicole Scales and Morgan Kane (All-SSC First Team), Aubrey Stupp (All-SSC Third Team), and India Shepherd (All-SSC Defensive Team). Kailyn Terrell won SSC Freshman of the Year, being the first Shark to earn the honor since the 2016-17 campaign. Kane was also selected for the D2CCA All-South Region Team, while Scales was recognized as a WBCA All-American with an honorable mention.

The 2022-2023 season featured another NCAA Tournament appearance for the Sharks.Freeland-Curry guided NSU to a 21-9 record, and their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2018-2019 season. NSU earned the No. 7 seed in the South Region Tournament, where they took on the No. 2 seeded Eckerd Tritons. Freeland-Curry coached Madison Frederick and Hailey Conley to spots on the  All-SSC teams. Frederick landed on the All-SSC First Team and Newcomer Team while Conley landed on the All-SSC Second Team. Frederick also tabbed a spot on the D2CCA All-South Region Second Team.

At the conclusion of the 2021-2022 regular season, the Sharks earned their tenth straight trip to the SSC tournament (excluding the 2020-2021 season) and received post season recognition for two players. McKenah Peters was named All-SSC Second Team/All-Newcomer Team and Grace Gilmore was also named to the SSC All-Newcomer Team.

Due to Covid-19, the Sharks didn’t compete in the 2020-2021 basketball season.

Jordan Tully was named All-SSC First team at the end of the 2019-2020 season. This season, the Sharks made their ninth straight SSC tournament appearance. The Sharks earned a spot in the Div. II Elite Eight for the fourth time in program history in 2018-19, winning the South Region Tournament after entering as the No. 7 seed. Christen Prasse and Alison Hughes were named to the All-SSC Second Team while Claire McMahon was named to the All-SSC Newcomer Team. After the 2017-18 season, Alison Hughes received two postseason nods from the Sunshine State Conference, finding her name on the All-SSC Second Team and All-SSC Newcomer Team. The Sharks earned three All-SSC mentions, including Maria Bardeeva who was named the 2016-17 SSC Freshman of the Year. Christen Prasse was selected to the All-SSC Second Team and Samantha Logan was placed on the 2016-17 All-Newcomer Team. The 2015-16 SSC regular-season champion Sharks went 24-7 overall, and Freeland surpassed both the 100-win mark at the school and 200-win mark overall. The squad was ranked as high as No. 3 and was in the national polls 14 of 15 weeks. Junior forward Kayla Wright was Third Team All-American, First Team All-South Region and SSC Player of the Year. Senior point guard Monaye Merritt joined her on the SSC's First Team and was the league's Defensive Player of the Year, while Taylor Buie made the All-SSC Second Team. That comes on the heels of Freeland adding even more accomplishments to her coaching resume in 2014-15. She led NSU to their first ever No. 1 national ranking, earned the rare double championship of both the SSC regular season and postseason, and pushed the team to their third straight South Region title and national Elite Eight appearance. Freeland and the year-end No. 7 Sharks posted a 27-6 record, leaving her four wins shy of 100 at NSU, and 185 wins overall. She earned her first SSC Coach of the Year award as voted on by her fellow coaches, as well as the same distinction by Women's DII Hoops Bulletin. Based on their regular season title, the Sharks earned the top seed in the SSC Tournament and won over Saint Leo, Tampa and Barry by an average of 23.3 points for the program's second crown in a row and third overall. For the first time in three seasons, they went on the road for the South Region Tournament, beating Kentucky State and Rollins, and then top seed and No. 12 Union on their home floor, to earn the return trip to nationals. All of that comes on the heels of a landmark year in 2013-14. The Region 5 Coach of the Year as named by the WBCA, coming off an Elite Eight appearance the year prior, led the Sharks one round further, to the National Semifinals as one of the final four teams left in all of DII. The squad started out the year 15-0, setting new program standards for consecutive wins to start a season, and consecutive wins overall. After a 12-4 mark in conference play, the team was the No. 3 seed for the SSC Championships. They swept past Eckerd, No. 2 seed Rollins, and top-seeded Tampa for Freeland's first-ever conference tournament championship. That earned the team the No. 1 seed and host site of the NCAA South Region for the second year in a row. On their home floor, the Sharks dispatched Benedict, Albany State, and for the second time in a week, rival Tampa, to take home their second consecutive South Region Championship. Then, for the first time in program history, they won a game at the Elite Eight, defeating Concordia-St. Paul in Erie, Penn., 72-64. Though the team would come up short in the semifinal round against No. 5 West Texas A&M, they set another program standard for total wins, 29, against only five losses, and a final ranking of No. 3 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll. The team was ranked fourth in the preseason, and slotted in the top 10 in every poll all throughout. Sophomore guard Taylor Buie was named honorable mention All-American by two entities (the WBCA and Women's Division II Bulletin), and All-South Region Second Team by Daktronics. She and redshirt junior forward Jasmine Wilkins were named All-SSC Second Team as well. The year prior had been arguably the most successful in women's basketball history.

Following a regular season that saw the Sharks earn a share of the SSC Conference Title, the team was selected as the top seed and host of the South Region Tournament. They defeated their three opponents at the NSU Arena by an average of 22 points, earning their first trip to the national Elite Eight, held last year in San Antonio. Freeland and the Sharks finished the year 23-9 with an overtime loss in that quarterfinal round to No. 5 Western Washington. The 23 wins ranks as the second most in program history, and their No. 12 national ranking in the final USA Today Sports NCAA Division II Top 25 serves as the program's highest ranking ever. Following the season, many Sharks received individual accolades as well. Meixandra Porter became the program's first-ever first-team All-American, as recognized by State Farm/WBCA. She was also named third-team All-American by Women's DII Hoops Bulletin, first-team Daktronics All-South Region and first-team All-Sunshine State Conference. Sophomore Danielle Robinson was chosen as SSC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, second team All-South Region by Daktronics, and second team All-SSC. Amanda Burakoski received second team All-SSC honors and was chosen to the SSC All-Newcomer Team, and Tailor Jones was also named to the Newcomer squad. Jones was named Most Outstanding Player of the South Region Tournament, and was joined on the All-Tournament squad by Porter and freshman Taylor Buie. During the 2011-12 season, Freeland led the Sharks to a 17-11 overall record, a .500 (8-8) mark in Sunshine State Conference play and advanced the team to the SSC Tournament semifinals for the first time since the 2008-09 campaign. The 17 wins was the most since the 2007-08 season. Before coming to NSU, Freeland coached at the University of Indianapolis from 2006-11 where she owned the highest winning percentage in Greyhound program history at 89-35 (.718) while taking Indianapolis to three-consecutive NCAA Tournaments.

The 2010-11 Greyhounds owned a 17-13 overall record while posting an even 9-9 in Great Lakes Valley Conference action. The Greyhounds charged all the way to the GLVC Championship game, knocking off No. 13 Quincy to arrive. During the course of the year UIndy beat consistently strong Southern Indiana in a triple overtime game while also being able to string two three-game winning streaks.

The 2009-10 UIndy squad posted a 26-4 record and finished the regular season atop the GLVC East Division. Freeland herself was named the GLVC Coach of the Year, with her team posting a 16-2 mark in the league. UIndy also put together a 24-game winning streak during the year, and received the highest ranking in program history, topping out at No. 2 in the USA of Today/ESPN Division II Coaches Poll.

At the 2009 national tourney, Freeland’s squad toppled a pair of top-10 teams on the way to the school’s first-ever Sweet 16 appearance. UIndy’s two tournament wins brought its season total to 24, matching the second-highest sum in program history while earning the No. 24 ranking in the final 2008-09 USA Today/ESPN Division II Poll.

Opening the 2007-08 campaign, Freeland won her very first game as head coach and didn’t stop winning through the first 11 contests, setting a program record for most wins to start a season. The Greyhounds finished the season with 13 conference victories and a trip to the GLVC Tournament semifinals.

A week later, in UIndy’s first NCAA appearance since 2005 and sixth overall, Freeland’s inaugural campaign ended in a one-point, first-round loss to eventual national champion and fellow GLVC-member Northern Kentucky.

Over the course of her coaching career in the GLVC, Freeland mentored nine All-GLVC performers and 19 academic all-conference players at the helm.

Freeland, a former assistant coach at Florida Gulf Coast University, took over the helm at UIndy in June of ‘07 as the seventh head women’s basketball coach in program history. The previous four seasons, she was the top assistant for FGCU and helped the Eagles compile an impressive 102-20 record during her tenure.

In 2006-07, Freeland helped the Eagles finish the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation, making it all the way to the NCAA Division II National Championship game. FGCU was a staggering 63-3 in her final two seasons there.

Prior to joining the FGCU staff, Freeland was the top assistant at her alma mater, the University of Southern Indiana. There, she helped lead the program to 78 wins, one Great Lakes Valley Conference regular-season title and two GLVC tournament championships, as well as two NCAA Tournament appearances. The 2001 squad advanced to the NCAA DII Elite Eight. She spent the 1998-99 year as a social studies teacher and volleyball and basketball coach at Castle Junior High in Newburgh, Ind.

She ended her playing career as the most decorated player in Southern Indiana history. She was named First Team Division II All-American three times, GLVC Player of the Year twice, and was inducted into the GLVC Hall of Fame. She led the Screaming Eagles to the 1997 NCAA Division II Championship game.

Freeland was named the College Sports Magazine Player of the Year in 1995. She set six career records at USI, including scoring (2,269) and rebounding (961), as well as three single-season marks and three single-game marks. She was inducted to the GLVC Hall of Fame in 2004 and was one of ten players nominated for the NCAA Division II 25th Anniversary Team in 2005. Freeland is married to John Curry and they reside in Plantation, FL.