FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fulton, Mo. – May 29, 2026: The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Westminster has named Peyton Whitted as the College’s head women’s basketball coach.
Whitted was selected after a nationwide search for a leader to guide the NCAA Division III program into its next chapter within the Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC).
“We are excited to welcome Coach Whitted to our Blue Jays family,” said Dr. Jessica Brown, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics. “She is strongly committed to both our mission of championship culture and the academic standards set by our faculty, all while bringing extensive collegiate, professional and coaching experience to the program.”
Since its establishment in 1992, the Westminster women’s basketball program has won five SLIAC regular-season championships and three conference tournament titles. The program has also produced two All-Americans, two NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipients and the conference’s all-time leading scorer. The team also has earned the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 Team Academic Award nine times.
A former standout at Penn State University, Whitted helped lead the Nittany Lions to an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance, earned Academic All-Big 10 honors and served as a team captain.
Before Penn State, Whitted starred at North Gwinnett High School in Suwanee, Georgia, where she earned all-state honors and was nominated for the McDonald’s All-American Game after helping lead the program to a state runner-up finish.
Whitted played professionally from 2017 to 2025 across Europe and Southeast Asia, competing in Greece, Romania, Sweden, Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Italy, Indonesia and the Czech Republic. During her international career, she earned Eurobasket All-Belgian League second-team honors and Eurobasket All-Turkish TKBL second-team recognition while competing in domestic leagues and EuroCup Women play.
She also represented the Indonesia women’s national team and helped lead the program to a gold medal at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games.
Following her playing career, Whitted transitioned into coaching and player development. She served as head coach of the junior varsity and freshman programs at North Gwinnett High School while assisting with the varsity program. She also coached with ATL Bucks AAU Basketball and worked at youth camps and clinics through the National Basketball Association’s Atlanta Hawks basketball programs.
Brown reflected, “Coach Whitted’s professional playing career, firsthand perspective on the evolving landscape of women’s basketball and unique ability to connect with and understand today’s basketball student-athletes make her a great fit for the Westminster women’s basketball program.”
Please join us in welcoming Coach Whitted to the Blue Jay Nation!
ABOUT THE BLUE JAYS AND WESTMINSTER COLLEGE: The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, boasts 22 varsity teams and competes in NCAA Division III as part of the Saint Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. Founded in 1851 and known for Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech, Westminster is ranked by The Princeton Review as one of the 2026 “Best Colleges in the Midwest” while being recognized by the Higher Learning Commission for its unique role in the Civic Learning and Democracy Engagement Coalition. More than 90% of Westminster graduates secure employment or further education within six months, and alumni rank in the top 16% nationally for earnings. Missouri’s only national liberal arts college, Westminster is dedicated to preparing students to make a meaningful impact on the world around them. Learn more at WCMO.edu.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Sarah Backer at 573-220-9038 or Sarah.Backer@WCMO.edu or Tyler Oberlag at Tyler.Oberlag@WCMO.edu or 573-220-7588.
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
