JULY 1, 2025 — UTSA Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Lisa Campos announced a five-year extension to the contract of head women’s basketball coach Karen Aston on Tuesday.
“Karen Aston has completely transformed our women’s basketball program in four short years, culminating in the American Athletic Conference regular-season title last season,” Campos said. “We are incredibly fortunate to have someone with Karen’s experience leading the UTSA Women’s Basketball program. She is a terrific mentor and role model to our student-athletes. She has built incredible relationships all throughout the City of San Antonio, evidenced by our record-breaking attendance this season. I am thrilled Karen will be our head coach for many years to come.”
Aston’s extension, which runs through March 31, 2030, will start at $375,000 in 2025–26. From there, it will increase to $385,000 in 2026–27 and $415,000 for the final three seasons.
“When I came to UTSA, I knew that under the leadership of President Eighmy and Dr. Lisa Campos, this was the place for my family and I to be,” Aston said. “They have been wonderful leaders and have been so supportive of our basketball program and vision. I am grateful to be the coach of the Roadrunners, and I appreciate the vote of confidence they have shown by extending my time here in San Antonio. I look forward to another season with the team and staff, and I appreciate all UTSA has done for me and my family.”
Under Aston’s tutelage, the program reached new heights during the 2024–25 season as the two-win squad she inherited won the American Athletic Conference regular-season championship just four years later. The Roadrunners went 26–4, including a 17–1 mark in league play, both of which serve as league records. UTSA compiled a 13–0 ledger at home, finishing undefeated at home for the first time since the 1984–85 campaign, which saw the squad go 9–0 in the Convocation Center.
Dating back to February of 2024, the ’Runners have won their last 16 games at home, another ongoing record, and the squad was an at-large selection to the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament for back-to-back national postseason appearances.
Holding a career record of 349–208, Aston has gone 64–62 in her UTSA tenure, averaging a six-win improvement each season. An 18–15 record in 2023–24 was the Roadrunners’ first winning season since 2014–15, and a Women’s National Invitational Tournament berth was the program’s first national postseason selection since 2008–09. An 80–62 win over Northern Colorado in the first round followed, for the squad’s first-ever national postseason victory.
Known nationally for her recruiting prowess, Aston has brought several notable transfers to San Antonio, including the 2022–23 Conference USA Player and Newcomer of the Year and 2024–25 American Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year Jordyn Jenkins. Along with Jenkins, Nina De Leon Negron received recognition as the 2024-25 AAC Newcomer of the Year, while Elyssa Coleman and Jadyn Pimentel earned Conference USA All-Defensive honors in 2022-23. She’s also had success bringing in and developing freshmen, with Sidney Love making the 2023 C-USA All-Freshman team and Idara Udo cracking The American All-Conference Second Team as a sophomore in 2024-25.
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