Bradley women’s basketball head coach Kate Popovec-Goss has accepted a head coaching position at Boston College after four seasons with the program.
The Eagles parted ways with former head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee after eight seasons following a 5-25 campaign in 2025-2026.
Popovec-Goss took over at Bradley ahead of the 2022-23 season following the departure of former head coach Andrea Gorski. Before she arrived in Peoria, Popovec-Goss had served as the Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at her alma mater, Northwestern.
At the time of her arrival, the Braves were in rebuild mode, fresh off a 4-24 record the year prior.
In Popovec-Goss’ first two seasons, the Braves had a combined record of 10-54, though signs were there that the program was on the right track. In 2024-25, the team took a step forward, finishing with a 14-19 record and advancing to the second round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament for the first time since 2021.
In what would be her final season leading the Braves, Popovec-Goss made history, guiding the team to a 20-13 finish, their first year finishing above .500 since 2021, and earned a spot in the NCAA Women’s Basketball National Invitational Tournament (NIT), where the Braves fell to George Washington University.
Popovec-Goss left a lengthy message thanking the administration, her staff, the community and her players for her time in Peoria.
“I am so grateful for my time at Bradley and am so proud of what we have built throughout the past four seasons,” Popovec-Goss said in a statement to the Bradley Athletics department. “I always say you win with people, and Peoria is filled with the absolute best. First, thank you to Chris Reynolds, Brad Chandler, Jen Jones, President Shadid and the rest of the administration. Thank you for believing in me and supporting my vision for Bradley Women’s Basketball. Together, we made that vision a reality.”
“Second, thank you to our donors and community of Peoria,” Popovec-Goss continued. “No one loves their university and athletes more than the 309, and it makes wearing the Bradley script so special. Thank you to my staff—the best staff in the country. You put our athletes and their experiences at the forefront, and the results are the byproduct. Together, we have won games, but more importantly, invested in a group of tremendously special people and helped them achieve their goals. And finally, to my players – there are not enough words to articulate what you have meant to me, the university, and the community. Your growth and success are why I coach, and I am forever indebted to your unwavering belief in Bradley. You have made history, and that’s what we set out to do. My family and I will forever treasure our time at Bradley and in Peoria and will forever root for the Braves.”
Popovec-Goss’s departure places the women’s basketball program back where it was four seasons ago: searching for a leader to rehab and rebuild after flashes of excellence.
A national search for Bradley’s 11th coach in program history will begin immediately.
