Michigan State hires Robyn Fralick as women's head basketball coach

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State hired Bowling Green’s Robyn Fralick on Friday as the next women’s head basketball coach. Fralick, a native of Okemos, Mich.,  is replacing former head coach Suzy Merchant, who stepped down on March 13 after 16 seasons at Michigan State.

Fralick becomes the sixth head coach in the history of Michigan State women’s basketball. She has spent the last five seasons at Bowling Green, compiling an overall record of 88-73 and a Mid-American Conference record of 43-49. 

“My family and I are so grateful for this new journey,” Fralick said in a statement released by the university. “It is an honor to return home to East Lansing to join the Spartan community. I would like to thank the Bowling Green community for wrapping their arms around my family and the BGSU women’s basketball squad for giving their best, every day. 

“Thank you to Alan Haller and the hiring committee at Michigan State for this amazing opportunity. Spartan women’s basketball has great tradition and an extremely loyal and supportive fan base. It’s truly one of the elite programs in the Big Ten and the country, with everything that’s necessary to develop student-athletes and compete at the highest level. We will work tirelessly to pursue excellence on and off the court and build a culture and team built on togetherness and toughness. We’re excited to get to work.”

Fralick compiled a record of 69-31 over her last three seasons at Bowling Green. The Falcons made the postseason in each of those seasons, including a trip to the WNIT Fab Four this past season. Prior to that, Fralick led the Falcons to a WNIT appearance in 2021 and a third-place finish in the 2022 Women’s Basketball Invitational.

Bowling Green finished this past season with a 31-7 (14-4) record, which equaled the school and MAC record for most wins in a single season. The Falcons finished tied for second in the conference standings and lost to Toledo in the MAC Tournament Championship game.

Bowling Green was coming off four consecutive losing seasons before Fralick was hired in 2018. The Falcons finished 9-21 and 10-21 in Fralick’s first two seasons, respectively. But Fralick led Bowling Green to a 21-8 (14-4) record in the 2020-21 season, good for first place in the conference. But BGSU fell to Central Michigan in the MAC Tournament Championship Game, narrowly missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid.

Fralick earned 2021 MAC Coach of the Year honors for the Falcons’ turnaround that season.

Prior to her time at Bowling Green, Fralick spent three seasons as head coach at Division-II Ashland University. She compiled an overall record of 104-3 in those three seasons, which marked the highest winning percentage in NCAA history at any level (minimum 100 games).

Fralick led Ashland to a Division II National Championship in the 2016-17 season, in which the team went a perfect 37-0. The following season, Ashland finished as national runner-up under Fralick’s guidance. 

Fralick won three GLIAC regular season championships, tournament championships and South Division championships while at Ashland.

Fralick has compiled a 192-76 record in eight seasons as a head coach. 

Fralick also spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Ashland, from 2008-15. Prior to that, she was an assistant coach at Toledo from 2007-08, the director of operations at Western Michigan from 2005-07 and an assistant coach at Appalachian State from 2004-05.

Fralick played college basketball at Davidson, graduating with a degree in psychology. She earned a master’s degree in counselor education from Western Michigan in 2007.

Fralick is a member of the Okemos High School Hall of Fame. She played basketball, soccer and softball in high school.

“This is a great day for Spartan women’s basketball as we welcome Robyn Fralick to our Spartan Family,”

“Her resumé speaks for itself,” said Michigan State Athletic Director Alan Haller, “both in the historic success and championships she captured at Ashland and the job she did turning around the program at Bowling Green, not only capturing a championship but also creating an expectation of postseason success. Beyond that, Robyn possesses the ability to connect individually with student-athletes in order to maximize their abilities, while also bringing everyone together to create team success.

“Although she grew up in our community and we couldn’t be more excited to bring her home, it’s important to note that she’s respected nationally. That became evidently clear throughout this process during conversations with individuals throughout the women’s basketball community.

“Michigan State women’s basketball is a program with a strong foundation both within our department and our community. I’m excited to watch Robyn and her team compete at the Big Ten and national level as the program continues to grow.”