Lipscomb University

Lauren Sumski joined the Lipscomb Bisons in the spring of 2019 as the first-ever female to lead the program in the Division I era. She enters her seventh season as Lipscomb's women's basketball head coach in 2025-26.

LIPSCOMB CAREER
Since arriving in the Music City, Sumski has posted winning seasons in three straight years, which has never been done in Lipscomb’s Division I history. She also secured winning campaigns in four of her six with the Bisons, including matching the Division I record in wins (20) twice in 2023 and 2025. 

Also, the 2025 season saw the first postseason appearance for the women’s basketball program since Lipscomb’s first full season of NCAA Division I competition as they played in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. 

With the Bisons, she has tallied an 86-90 mark in her six seasons at the helm. Including her two seasons at Division III Rhodes College, she has amassed a 121-111 overall record as a collegiate head coach.

She has coached eight All-ASUN selections, and with Taylor Clark’s two All-Conference selections in 2020 and 2021, she became the first player in program history to earn multi-year All-league accolades since Courtney Boynton was a three-time selection from 2003-05. Since then, Sumski has coached two more student-athletes to multiple All-ASUN honors in Claira McGowan (2024, 2025) and Bella Vinson (2023, 2025). 

Sumski had a stretch of four straight seasons (2020-23) where she coached a first year athlete to the All-ASUN Freshmen Team, including Jalyn Holcomb’s Freshman of the Year accolade in 2020.

With Lipscomb, Sumski and her staff have been a part of rewriting the program’s record books. Her offenses have hit the top-five in the program in scoring three times, including eclipsing 70 points per game in 2025 for the first time in Division I history. 

Additionally, the program has set new records in field goals made, attempts and percentage, as well as 3-pointers made and attempts. 

YEAR-BY-YEAR IN NASHVILLE
Sumski’s 2025 season saw history that the program has not seen in over two decades: qualifying for a postseason tournament. Despite the Bisons finishing in the ASUN Semifinals, the program participated in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, or WNIT. This marked the first time since 2003-04, Lipscomb’s first season of full Division I membership, when they went to the NCAA Tournament. 

Finishing with a 20-12 overall record, the Bisons protected home court. Playing the most home games since 2001 with 17, Lipscomb went 14-3, earning the most wins at home in that stretch.

Winning 20 games for the second time in the previous three seasons, the Bisons became an offensive weapon with a veteran-laden starting lineup that appeared in 29 of 32 games. Scoring 2,385 points, averaging 74.5 per game for 45th-best in Division I, it marked the first time since making the move to Division I that the team averaged 70+ points per game. Additionally, the program set new records in field goals made (880), attempts (1,977) and percentage (44.5%). 

More impressively, the Bisons was a top 10 team in all of Division I in 3-pointers made. Setting new marks in makes (306), per game (9.56), and attempts (895), Lipscomb’s per game average was good for seventh-most in the nation. They were one of 13 teams who averaged nine or more triples in a game. 

In 2024, her squad ended with a 17-13 overall record and a 10-6 mark in ASUN play. The season was the second straight winning season for the program for the first time in the Lipscomb women's basketball's Division I history. The Bisons accomplished this achievement despite some critical injuries before the start and toward the end of their season.

It was a milestone season for Sumski, as she earned her 100th win as a collegiate head coach against Central Arkansas on Feb. 24, the team’s Senior Day.

In the 2022-23 season, Sumski led the Bisons to a historic season in which they tied the program record for wins (20), doubling their total from the previous season. They also won the most regular-season games in program history (19) and compiled the most ASUN wins (13) since the 2003-04 season. 

Additionally, the program won 10 of its games on the road, marking the most road wins since the seven dubs in 2004. 

Sumski has the program going in the right direction and has continued to build Lipscomb women's basketball into a contender in the ASUN. Lipscomb earned the third seed in the 2022-23 ASUN Championships, their highest regular season finish since 2003-04, and reached the tournament's semifinal round. 

In the 2021-22 season, the Bisons tallied a 7-8 mark at home and an overall record of 10-20. Under her direction, the Bisons earned a Newcomer of the Week recognition, an All-Freshman Team recognition, and an All-Academic Team recognition.

In her first season at the helm of the program, Sumski improved the Bisons record by three wins, doubled their ASUN win total, and led Jalyn Holcomb to earn the program's first-ever ASUN Freshman of the Year award. Additionally, the program secured its first-ever undefeated mark at home, going a perfect 10-0.

RETURNING TO HER ALMA MATER
Sumski came to Lipscomb after serving as head coach for her alma mater, Rhodes College, in Memphis, where she compiled a 35-21 overall record in her first head coaching tenure leading the women’s program.

When she was hired at the age of 27, she became one of the youngest head coaches in the country across all Divisions.

In her first season at the helm, Sumski led the Lynx to an 18-9 overall record, a 13-game turnaround from the previous season's 5-21 mark. It was the third-largest improvement among all Division III teams in 2016-17.

In her second season, she led Rhodes to a 17-12 record and a Southern Athletic Association Tournament Championship. The Lynx knocked off the SAA regular season champion Millsaps (71-68) in the semifinals and then took down the defending tournament champion Oglethorpe (56-41) in the title game to earn Rhodes its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015.

FIRST COACHING GIG, UNION UNIVERSITY
Prior to her tenure at Rhodes, Sumski started her coaching career at nearby Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, working under Mark Campbell in the fall of 2014.

The Lady Bulldogs compiled a 73-20 record during her three seasons on the staff. She helped produce 15 GSC Academic Honor Roll Players, three GSC All-Academic Players, four All-GSC players, one GSC Player of the Year, one South Regional Player of the Year, three All-Americans, one Player of the Year Finalist and two Top 10 Final Rankings.

COLLEGE CAREER
Sumski was rated the 28th-best high school prospect in the nation by ESPNU Hoopsgurlz 100. She committed to the University of Tennessee and played one season under the legendary Pat Summit in 2010-11.

She played in 19 games for the SEC champions and was named to the All-SEC Academic team.

After dealing with injuries as a freshman in Knoxville, Sumski transferred back home and played her final three seasons with Rhodes, where she rewrote the record books. In her last two years with the Lynx she helped lead the team to a combined 50-8 record, setting the school's record with 25 wins each season.

Her teams won the SAA regular season and tournament titles in both seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each, where they picked up two first-round wins.

During her career, Sumski was a two-time WBCA All-American, a National Player of the Year finalist, an SAA Player of the Year, a two-time SAA Tournament MVP, and an academic honor roll member.

Sumski led the nation in points per minute and finished second in the country in scoring after averaging 25.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a senior, where she led the Lynx to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and their first-ever D-III national ranking. In her junior campaign, she averaged 20.2 points and 8.6 rebounds.

She finished her career with 1,373 points and set the school record for points in a season (692), free throws made (180), and single-season per-game average.

Passing on numerous professional basketball playing opportunities, Sumski decided to pursue a career in coaching. After graduating from Rhodes, Sumski was awarded her first coaching opportunity as an assistant coach on Mark Campbell's staff at Union University in August 2014.

HIGH SCHOOL/PERSONAL
Sumski was also a highly-decorated high school player at Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis. She was named a national high school All-American, earned two state titles, and was a two-time Tennessee Miss Basketball. She averaged 15.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 5.8 steals per game for her career and posted 90 double-doubles, seven triple-doubles, and one quadruple-double.

She was featured in the 2008 Sports Illustrated 'Where Will They Be?' photo series and was named ESPN RISE Underclassman and EA Sports Player of the Year twice.

Sumski graduated from Rhodes College in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in biology with a concentration in pre-medicine before earning her master's degree in education with a sports administration emphasis at Union University in 2016.

Sumski is married to her husband Chris, who served as an Assistant Coach on her staff at Rhodes and is now the Associate Head Coach at Lipscomb.