Ella Skeens enters her first season as Head Women's Basketball Coach at Wheeling University. She previously worked with the team over the last two seasons, both as a Graduate Assistant and a full-time assistant, and is taking over the reins for the 2025-2026 season.
In 2024-2025, Skeens was promoted to fuill time assistant coach and helped the Cardinals to their highest seeding in the MEC Tournament since the COVID 2021 season at 17-12 overall and 13-7 in MEC play. She was primarily responsible for game planning and assisting in the defensive scheme for the team. She helped junior guard Kenzie Dalton earned the first MEC Defensive Player of the Year honor. Under her watch, the Cardinals claimed the #3 seed in the MEC Tournament .
During the 2023-2024 season Skeens worked in all aspects of the Women's Basketball program, helping them to a historic start to the year. She assisted Head Coach Anna Kowalska in the creation of scouting reports for the oppostion while also working heavily with the team's guards. Skeens was able to help Shamia Strayhorn earn First Team All-MEC honors for the first time in her career and helped lead the Cardinals to the #5 seed in the 2024 MEC Tournament.
Prior to joining the Wheeling University coaching staff, Skeens played two seasons at the University of Rio Grande. She helped lead the Red Storm to two conference championships in two seasons while also leading the school's first-ever trip to nationals. She was a two-time conference Player of the Year with the Red Storn and earned an NAIA All-American award. She was also named the River States Conference Player of the Year following the 2022-23 season.
Prior to Rio Grande, Skeens spent the COVID season with Ball State, and spent the two priorseasons with the University of Dayton, where she played from 2018 to 2019. She helped lead the Flyers to the Atlantic 10 Championship and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Skeens is currently pursuing her Master's in Business Administration at Wheeling University.
