Sharon Dingman
Co-Director
Sharon Dingman is the Head Volleyball Coach at Colorado College
Sharon Dingman enters her fourth season as the head coach of the Colorado College volleyball program in the fall of 2024.
Dingman has led the Tigers to a 69-26 record in her three seasons in Colorado Springs and guided the team to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in her first year. Each of the last two seasons, the Tigers advanced to the championship match of the SCAC Tournament.
Isabella Lipacis earned a pair of Honorable Mention All-America honors under Dingman, while Jenny Jenks was named the SCAC Setter of the Year in each of Dingman's first two seasons.
Dingman, who has a career record of 615-418 as a head coach, won her 600th career match last fall with a five-set victory over 17th-ranked Tufts University.
Dingman brought 30 years of experience to CC at both the Division I and Division III levels, including six seasons at UChicago. Under Dingman’s direction, the Maroons enjoyed unparalleled success during her six-season tenure. Her teams posted a combined 144-55 (.724) overall record, a 41-19 (.693) mark in the UAA, and earned five NCAA Tournament appearances. The University of Chicago competes in the University Athletic Association, one of the most competitive conferences in the nation.
During the program’s history-making 2019 season, UChicago won 23 consecutive matches and was ranked No. 1 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s Coaches Top-25 poll for the first time in program history. The Maroons also advanced to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament for the first time, and finished the year with a 28-4 ledger and a program-record .875 winning percentage.
In recognition of those accomplishments, Dingman was named AVCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year and was part of the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year for the third time.
The 2019 season was the culmination of a five-year process that included several other achievements and milestones for Dingman and her program. The previous year, she led the Maroons to a 29-5 record, which included her 100th victory at UChicago as well as her 500th career win. In her Windy City debut in 2015, Dingman led the Maroons to a 26-13 and an at-large NCAA tournament berth.
Not only can the Tigers expect team success under Dingman, they also will benefit from her proven ability to develop players. Under Dingman’s tutelage, UChicago student-athletes combined for the program’s first three AVCA All-America honors as well as 21 all-UAA selections, including 13 first-team selections.
Dingman’s Division I experience includes head-coaching stints at the University of Iowa (2008-13), Illinois State University (2000-07), Butler University (1992-99) and Auburn University (1991-92). She also served as an assistant coach at the University of Kentucky (1988-90), Texas Tech University (1985-87) and Northern Michigan University (1984-85).
While at Iowa, her 2008 squad won 14 matches overall and six in the Big Ten, the most by the Hawkeyes since 2000. She led Illinois State to seven winning seasons in eight years, and the 2007 Redbirds earned an at-large NCAA tournament berth for the first time in 10 years.
Dingman played two seasons at Purdue University where she was a member of Big Ten championship teams in 1979 and 1980, and her final two years at Northern Michigan, where she served as team captain in 1982 and 1983, and was the team’s MVP in 1983.
Dingman earned her bachelor's degree in health education from Northern Michigan and completed her master's coursework at the University of Kentucky.