Ute Otley enters her second season as the Head Coach of the Norwich University women’s basketball program in 2025–26, becoming the 12th head coach in program history.
In her debut season at the helm, Otley guided the Cadets to 10 wins and helped senior Maren McGinn ’25 cap off a standout career with GNAC All-Conference Third Team honors and her 1,000th career point milestone.
Otley arrived at Norwich after 13 historic seasons at Champlain Valley Union High School, where she led the Redhawks to eight Vermont State Championships and a pair of runner-up finishes. A six-time VBCA Coach of the Year, she compiled an extraordinary 270–17 (.940) record at CVU between 2011 and 2024, including a state-record 96 consecutive wins from 2012–2016 and back-to-back state titles in her final two campaigns.
During her tenure at CVU, Otley coached four Vermont Gatorade Players of the Year and helped 22 student-athletes advance to NCAA programs — including Norwich assistant coach Emily Kinneston, the 2018 Patriot League Player of the Year at American University.
Before returning to Vermont, Otley spent five seasons as the Head Varsity Coach at Cherokee High School in Georgia (1995–2000), and three seasons as Head Coach at Jericho High School in New York (1991–1994).
A native of Valparaiso, Indiana, Otley starred at Dartmouth College from 1986–1990. She played in 103 games and scored 811 points while helping the Big Green to four consecutive Ivy League titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. She still ranks third all-time in assists (399) and sixth in steals (201). Otley earned All-Ivy honors twice and was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 1987.
Otley also earned First Team All-State accolades at Valparaiso High School, leading her team to back-to-back conference titles. She was named conference Player of the Year in 1986 and was selected to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team in 2011.
