MACOMB, Ill. - Western Illinois University Assistant Vice President/Director of Athletics Dr. Tim Van Alstine announced Friday (April 15) the hiring of JD Gravina as women's basketball head coach. Gravina becomes the seventh head coach in Leatherneck women's basketball history.

A formal press conference to introduce Gravina will be held on Monday (April 18) at 1 p.m. inside Western Hall.

A six-year head coaching veteran, Gravina joins the Leathernecks with an overall record of 113-61 (.649 winning percentage). He is coming off a successful four-year tenure at Quincy University, posting an overall record of 93-28 and program record .769 winning percentage. Three of his four teams advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. He inherits a Leatherneck women's basketball program looking for its first winning season since 2006.

"I would like to thank Western Illinois President (Al) Goldfarb, President-elect (Jack) Thomas, Vice-President (Garry) Johnson and Dr. (Tim) Van Alstine for placing their confidence in me to take over the Leatherneck women's basketball program. Joining the Leathernecks is a great opportunity. My staff and I will work diligently to provide our student-athletes with the best all-around experience possible. It will take hard work and sacrifice in order to win a Summit League championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament, that will be our goal every year," said Gravina. "I also want to thank the administration, my student-athletes and the fans of Quincy University for their support over the last four years."

The Hawks went 26-4 last season, advancing to the regional semifinals of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Quincy won the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular season championship and peaked at No. 11 in the national polls. QU also advanced to Nationals in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

A two-time GLVC 'Coach of the Year', Gravina was selected as the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Division II 'Coach of the Year' in 2008, 2009 and most recently in 2011.  Following the 2009 season, Gravina was chosen as the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Region 4 'Coach of the Year' and one of eight finalists as National 'Coach of the Year'.

Quincy won two GLVC regular season titles during Gravina's tenure and he coached three First Team All-GLVC players, including the 2011 conference 'Player of the Year'.

According to Van Alstine, Gravina's proven record of success as a head coach and commitment to developing the personal growth of student-athletes set him apart.

"We had an impressive candidate pool, but JD Gravina best embodies all the characteristics our university needs in our next women's basketball head coach. On the court, he turned his first job at McPherson College into a winning program, and taken Quincy University to the national tournament in three of his four years. Off the court, JD emphasizes developing the complete student-athlete much like Western Illinois' four core values of: Academic Excellence, Personal Growth, Educational Opportunity and Social Responsibility," said Van Alstine. "JD has become a well-respected member of the Quincy University staff and in the Quincy community. His student-athletes enjoy playing for him and the Hawks are a perennial national contender.

"I also want to thank the members of the search committee who helped in the candidate evaluation throughout this entire process: Lisa Melz (Director of Athletic Academic Services/Senior Woman Administrator), Annie Shepard (Director of Compliance), Sean McDonough (Assistant AD/External Operations) and Molly Reis (Director of Sports Medicine/Associate Head Athletic Trainer). They worked hard throughout this process. I believe we have the right coach for our program and am excited for the future of Leatherneck women's basketball," said Van Alstine.

Last season Quincy averaged 87.3 points per game, good for second in the nation. The team's offensive production has increased from a then-record 78.2 points his first season to the now record 87.3 ppg. Gravina's student-athletes have excelled in the classroom as the team recorded at least a 3.0 GPA every season. The Hawks also made national news when the program was featured in the NCAA magazine Champions for their work on the Pink Zone initiative (Breast Cancer Awareness).

He spent two years in charge of the women's basketball program at McPherson College from 2005-07. During his final year the program finished with just the third winning season over the previous 25 years.

Gravina graduated from William Jewell College with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. He competed on the basketball, tennis and track and field teams during his time as a student-athlete. He received his first master's degree from UMKC in Economics in 2002 and another in Health, Physical Education and Recreation from Emporia State in 2007.