Women's basketball head coach Sharon Versyp retires

Sharon Versyp has retired from coaching.

The Purdue women's basketball head coach announced her departure from the program effective immediately Thursday afternoon in a statement.

Versyp led the Boilermaker program for 15 years, and is the all-time winningest coach in its history, the release said. She led the team to four Big Ten conference titles and nine NCAA tournament appearances during that span.

The former coach recently came under fire for her association to a string of alleged player abuse incidents within the program. An investigation by the Office of Institutional Equity was launched in May, according to previous reporting by the Lafayette Journal and Courier, but the results of that investigation have not yet been made public. No conclusive link has been established between the allegations and this retirement.

"We sincerely thank Coach Versyp for her commitment and devotion to Purdue, her impact on the greater Lafayette community and the leadership she's provided our women's basketball program" Athletics Director Mike Bobinski said in a statement. "As we move forward, our program will benefit from the history of success and accomplishments under Coach Versyp's watch. We wish her the very best in the years ahead."

Associate head coach Katie Gearlds will helm the program this season, a year earlier than the program's initially announced succession plan. Gearlds was brought into the program in March, following the end of the 2020-21 season.

Gearlds was a player at Purdue from 2004-07, appeared in the 2007 Elite Eight and played three seasons in the WNBA.

Purdue opens its 2021-22 campaign Nov. 7 against Findlay in Mackey Arena.