Dan Gawrisch enters his 12th season at the helm of the MLC women’s basketball program in 2026-27, having won more than 100 games in his career.
During his debut season, Gawrisch led the Knights to a 9-16 overall record and an 8-6 record in conference play. The Knights were without a senior and endured some growing pains early in the nonconference season, but took home a fourth-place finish in the conference standings and earned a trip to the UMAC Tournament.
In his second season in 2015-16, Gawrisch led the Knights to a 13-14 record overall and a 7-9 record in conference play, good for fifth place. The Knights made the conference tournament for the second consecutive season under Gawrisch's leadership, winning the opening game at Minnesota Morris before falling at UW-Superior on the semifinal.
During the 2016-17 campaign, Gawrisch led the Knights to the postseason for the third-straight season. The team had a 10-16 season overall and 8-8 UMAC mark, finishing fifth.
Gawrisch and the Knights ended an eight-year drought from the conference tournament in 2024-25 with a fourth-place finish, which included a 9-5 UMAC record.
The success that women's basketball has experienced under Gawrisch is not limited to the court. The Knights have consistently finished inside the top 10 in Division III in team GPA over the past decade.
Gawrisch graduated from MLC in 2008 with a double major in Physical Education and Elementary Education. He served as an instructor at the college during the 2008-09 school year, where he served as an assistant coach for the football team. In 2015, Gawrisch returned to the football field for one final year to coach wide receivers under coach Mark Stein.
After completing his masters degree in Teach Physical Education and coaching at Northern Iowa in 2010, Gawrisch returned to MLC as an admissions counselor from 2010-13 before taking over as a Physical Education professor in 2013-14.
In 2026, Gawrisch completed his PhD from the University of Illinois.
During his time as a student at MLC, Gawrisch was a member of the football team from 2003-06, where he received academic all-conference honors all four seasons.
Sports and an active lifestyle have been an integral part of Dan’s entire life. Gawrisch, a native of New Berlin, Wisconsin, graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran High School in 2003.
Dan and his wife, Kaitlin, are blessed with 5 children, 2 boys and 3 girls. They love raising their family in the safe, supportive community of New Ulm, and they are grateful for the MLC basketball family serving as Christian role models for their kids.
