Sacramento State Athletic Director Terry Wanless announced on Monday that head women’s basketball coach Carolyn Jenkins will not return next season.

Jenkins’ contract, a three-year deal that paid her $65,000 a year, expires on March 31 and will not be renewed, Wanless said.

“I appreciate the effort and hard work Carolyn has put into the program,” Wanless said in an athletic department press release. “Unfortunately, the results we anticipated have not been met, and we have decided to go in a different direction.”

In her three seasons as Hornet head coach, Jenkins compiled an overall record of 6-74, including a 2-42 mark in the Big Sky Conference.

This past season, the Hornets had their most successful season under Jenkins.

The team went 3-24, with their most impressive win coming on the road at Montana State, who finished the season with a 20-7 record.

The other two wins were against NAIA teams.

“I felt we we’re starting in the right direction,” Jenkins said. “We were on a five-year plan but we just weren’t able to complete it.”

Two players Jenkins recruited to lead her team in the right direction were Sarah Craig and Katelyn Ciampi, who were among the team leaders in points scored and rebounding during conference play.

In her first head-coaching job after being an assistant at Michigan State and Stanford, Jenkins faced a lot of adversity, primarily on the injury front. During Jenkins’ three seasons, the Hornets’ locker room looked more like a triage unit at times with players amassing a total of over 220 games missed due to injury.

Although her record was not where she or the university hoped it would be, Jenkins is nonetheless proud of her three seasons as Hornets’ head coach.

“As for myself and my staff, I feel great in terms of what we’ve done,” said Jenkins after what would turn out to be her last game as head coach, a 75-64 home loss to Northern Arizona. “If somebody else comes in, it will be a lot easier for them to be successful.”

After the game, Jenkins addressed her team and let them know that she would not be back next season.

According to Jenkins, she and Wanless met in his office Friday morning and it was there that she was told that she would not have her contract renewed.

“It was pretty emotional in (the locker room),” Jenkins said.

Though her overall record may not open too many eyes at first, Jenkins thinks she will have another opportunity to coach in some capacity, whether in college or the pros.

“I love coaching at a university in an academic atmosphere,” Jenkins said. “But if a professional opportunity presented itself I certainly would look at it.”

According to Wanless, the roles of assistant coaches Cynthia James and Sarah Stapp are at this time undecided.

The search for a new women’s basketball coach will begin immediately.

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