Dana Harrold was named the head women's basketball coach at Grinnell College in July 2013.
Harrold's 2015-16 team enjoyed the biggest season for the program in more than a decade. The Pioneers qualified for the Midwest Conference Tournament for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign.
They also had 12 league wins, the most in program history, and the 15-9 overall mark ranked among the most wins in team history.
Despite graduating one of the better players in program history in Alissa Hirsh, the 2016-17 squad didn't miss a beat. Grinnell again posted 12 wins in league play while going 14-10 overall and earning a repeat trip to the MWC Tournament. It was the first time since the early 1990s that Grinnell qualified for back-to-back league tournaments.
Harrold became the 11th Pioneer women’s basketball coach in program history after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Dubuque since 2006.
A native of Jesup, Iowa, Harrold gained her bachelor’s degree from Dubuque before earning her master’s degree in Physical Education with an emphasis in Athletic Administration from Loras College in 2006.
With Harrold’s assistance, Dubuque compiled the most wins in program history for a six-year period (89) and qualified for the Iowa Conference Tournament four of the past six seasons.
In 2011-12, the Spartans broke the school record for most conference wins in a season with 10 while posting 15 overall wins, second-most in school history.
They continued that success in 2012-13, setting a school record for wins with 20 while advancing to the championship game of the Iowa Conference Tournament.
As a player at Dubuque, Harrold started every game of her record-setting four-year career. She was a three-time All-Iowa Conference player, two-year captain and team most valuable player, and was named the school’s Female Athlete of the Year as a junior and senior.
Harrold ended her career as the Spartans’ all-time leader in assists and steals and ranks second in scoring. She was inducted into Dubuque’s Hall of Fame in the fall of 2011.
Dana is married to her husband Clay, and the couple has three children.
