Urias elevated to associate head women’s basketball coach

INDIANOLA, Iowa – After six seasons on the sidelines, Claire Urias has been elevated to associate head coach for the Simpson women's basketball program.

Urias has been a member of the Storm coaching staff since 2020-21, serving two seasons as a part-time assistant before moving into a full-time role in May 2022. She has played a key role in player development, scouting, and recruiting, helping guide Simpson's continued success in the American Rivers Conference.

"Claire has been instrumental in everything we do within our program," said head coach Brian Niemuth. "This change in title reflects the impact she has on our student-athletes and the consistency she brings to our day-to-day operations. She has a great feel for the game, builds strong relationships with our players and represents our program at a high level."

A native of Dakota Dunes, S.D., Urias was a four-year letterwinner for Niemuth from 2016-20. She earned all-conference second team honors twice and was a three-time academic all-conference selection. As a senior, she averaged 10.2 points per game while ranking third in the conference in both assists (4.2) and steals (2.4) per game.

Urias graduated from Simpson in May 2020 with a degree in physical education.