Julie Goodenough

Biography

Julie Goodenough enters her 14th year leading the Abilene Christian women’s basketball program in 2025-26 and is the longest-tenured coach on the Wildcats’ athletic staff. The Big Country native has ushered ACU into its Division I era since being named the sixth head coach of the Wildcats on March 27, 2012. Goodenough immediately transformed a program hindered by consecutive losing campaigns into conference champions, tallying seven 20-win seasons, three regular season conference titles and one conference tournament championship at ACU. Goodenough has steered the Wildcats to five postseason tournaments, including a 2019 trip to the NCAA Tournament in just the program’s sixth Division I season. With the second-most wins in program history, trailing Burl McCoy’s 299, ACU has experienced a winning season in all but one year under her leadership. A veteran head coach with over 30 years of experience and more than 500 wins to her name, Goodenough’s players have earned plenty of hardware through all-conference recognition. Across three leagues, she has coached 25 all-conference Wildcats alongside two Southland Conference Players of the Year. Alexis Mason received the honor in 2016 before Breanna Wright took home the accolade in 2020. Six players have earned all-defensive team accolades while three were named to the WAC All-Newcomer Team. Goodenough coached Jamie Bonnarens to WAC Newcomer of the Year distinction in 2022 before Payton Hull collected WAC Freshman of the Year honors in