FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University women's basketball head coach Bill Reinson has been named the Virginia Coach of the Year by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, as announced Tuesday. Reinson, in his second complete season at the helm of the Lancers, guided his squad to a 14-19 overall record and an appearance in the 2013 VisitMyrtleBeach.com Big South Conference Championship finals.

“It is an honor to receive such recognition,” said Reinson. “There are many people who contributed to this year's success and this belongs to all of them. Wanisha Smith, Sarah Williams and Adria Crawford have poured their hearts and souls into this program. They share in this, as well. Finally, without the perseverance and dedication of the young women on the team, who gave everything they had every day, there would be nothing to recognize. This is a recognition of their accomplishments.”

The team's 14 victories in 2012-13 matches the program's win total from the previous two seasons combined. It also marks the most victories for the team since its first year playing a Division I schedule back in 2007-08 (16). Reinson's squad, who had compiled an 8-10 record in conference play during the regular season to earn the No. 7 seed for the tournament, made history for Longwood with three-straight postseason wins, knocking off the No. 10 seed Charleston Southern University, the No. 2 seed Winthrop University and the No. 6 seed Radford University, to advance to the conference's title game against in-state foe Liberty University.

With a squad made up of just four seniors and nine underclassmen, the Lancers' appearance in the finals marked just the third time in Big South history that a No. 7 seed played in the championship game. The squad's finish as the conference tournament's runner-up also marked the best performance so far by any Longwood program in the school's first year as a Big South member. Senior Chelsea Coward was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team following the final game.