By Alana Loya, Spring 2025 Special Collections & University Archives Intern
The passage of Title IX, in 1972, created opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics. Four years later, the University of San Francisco brought a women’s basketball program to the Hilltop, setting the stage for the arrival of the young woman who would eventually become the most prolific scorer in USF basketball history.
As a player, Mary Hile-Nepfel brought her team to the biggest stages of women’s collegiate basketball, breaking men’s and women’s records along the way. After her playing career, Hile returned to the program as a coach. Together with her husband, she coached the Dons to three straight WCC championships and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. Both as a teammate and a mentor, she forged relationships and built a community of women’s athletes.
Hile’s story is a stepping stone to understanding the rich history of women’s basketball in the Bay Area. This legacy also serves as a reminder of the value of diversity and inclusion initiatives, like Title IX. “Hile on the Hilltop” utilizes materials from USF’s Special Collections and University Archives and a conversation with Mary Hile-Nepfel herself.
A Multi-Sport Athlete
Although Mary Hile also played volleyball, tennis, and softball in high school, basketball clearly stood out to her as her true niche. She lettered all four years in the sport at Peterson High School in Sunnyvale, California. She was named team MVP three years in a row. She earned accolades at her school and in her section at large (1). Despite her clear ability and motivation, Mary felt uncertain about the possibility of playing in college until late in her high school career.
I didn't know if [playing basketball in college] would even be a possibility, you know. But what helped, I think, was the passing of Title IX in 1972, when I was in the eighth grade..By the time I was a senior, colleges had just started offering scholarships. So I started thinking, well, maybe I could earn a scholarship" (7).
Go Bruins?
With this newfound optimism about continuing her basketball career, Hile set her sights on UCLA, a powerhouse on the West Coast and home to All-American Ann Meyers. After reaching out to UCLA's coaching staff, an assistant coach came up to Peterson High to watch Hile and her impressive team in action. (7) They won the Central Coast Section title that year; it was the first time a sectional championship had been offered for the girls (1).
However soon after the season ended, UCLA's head coach resigned, replaced by Billy Moore. Hile and her parents drove down to LA to visit the campus and meet with Moore. Moore informed Hile that the four players who would be receiving scholarships had already been decided. There would be no scholarship money left for Hile, but she was welcome to try out as a walk-on.
"I was crushed...I think I cried the whole way home. It was about a six hour ride."
Moore, Meyers, and the rest of the UCLA Bruins went on to win the 1978 AIAW Championship that season.
When they got home, Hile's parents offered to find a way to finance her education at UCLA. Despite her strong feelings about the program, Hile made the decision to keep looking at other schools with the hope of earning a full scholarship.
I want to go somewhere where I'm wanted, that the coach believes in what I can do."
Looking Local
Hile began seriously considering more local schools, like Stanford University, Santa Clara University, and USF. The 1977-78 season was only the second season USF sponsored a women's intercollegiate basketball program. The team was returning three players, including Sue Enos, the first woman on an athletic scholarship at USF. Enos averaged 14.1 points per game and earned the honor of team MVP in the 1976-77 season (1). Enos also played volleyball at USF.
Welcoming nine new players for the 1977-78 season, head coach Walt Bugler remained optimistic about the team's rise in a daunting Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) in the upcoming years. During Hile's official visit to USF, Bugler explained his vision for her and this nascent program:
Walt...just kind of laid it out and said, you know, 'I want to build this team around you...I think you can make a real difference in this program and how far we can go.'"
After confirming her full scholarship and meeting with coaches, players, and administrators, Hile committed to USF. She arrived on the hilltop as the most decorated athlete the women's program had recruited to date. It seemed Hile would have a promising career on the hilltop. No one could have guessed the leaps and bounds the young program would take after just a few years.
1979-80 Dons
In Hile's junior season, the 1979-80 Dons boasted a 28-5 record (19). As NCAC champions, they entered the regional AIAW tournament as the one-seed, ranked over the University of Southern California, Stanford, and Long Beach State, among others. After being unexpectedly upset by USC, the Dons were slated to play for third place and a bid to the national AIAW tournament. Their opponent? UCLA (2).
"I was highly motivated...Walt, I can remember, used to always come up to me during warmups...his way of checking in with me...I think he was concerned that maybe we weren't ready...I just looked at him...I said, 'We're ready, and we're gonna find a way to win this.' And we did."
Hile holds this game against UCLA as one of the most memorable and impactful moments in her USF career. (7) Following this win, the Dons prepared for the first round of the AIAW Division I National Basketball Championship. They faced off against BYU in Provo.
Although their season ended here, Hile and the Dons had a great deal to be proud of. Just a few years after its inception, the USF women's basketball program was a force to be reckoned with on the largest stage in women's collegiate athletics. The team consistently appeared in national rankings throughout the season, peaking at 12th in February 1980 (6).
AIAW vs. NCAA?
When Hile played on the Hilltop, the governing body for women's athletics was the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). This organization, formed in 1970, provided an alternative model of sport with an emphasis on education (22). It was not until 1982 that the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) began to sponsor tournaments for women's sports.
In 1980 the NCAA first filed a motion to begin sponsoring women's tournaments. Voting members of the AIAW vehemently opposed this based on the argument that the NCAA would not uphold true parity for men's and women's sports. The NCAA had a history of fighting Title IX regulations out of fear that funding women's programs would deplete funding for men's football and basketball programs (4). AIAW leadership felt women's collegiate athletics would best thrive under an organization designed by women, for women.
Despite their attempts to keep a separate governing body, the AIAW ceased operations in 1982, shortly after the NCAA began incorporating women's athletics. (23). However, the AIAW's philosophies regarding education and enforcement of Title IX cement the organization's legacy in the history of women's collegiate athletics.
Hile's Career on the Hilltop
By the time her senior season came around, Hile's resume spoke for itself. She averaged 18.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 4.1 steals per game (19). She led the women's program in almost every conceivable scoring and rebounding record. She played for the U.S. National team in 1979 alongside Ann Meyers. She was a two-time finalist for the Wade trophy, awarded to the best women's college basketball player in the country (19). Contemporary Wade trophy winners include UConn's Paige Bueckers, Iowa's Caitlin Clark, and South Carolina's Aliyah Boston and A'ja Wilson (20).
Going into the 1980-81 season, Hile approached two other notable university records: Bill Russell's total rebounds record and Bill Cartwright's total points record. During the 1980-81 season, Hile's father kept a running tally of her points and rebounds after every game.
Hile Becomes USF's All-Time Leading Scorer
On January 29, 1981 against UC Santa Barbara, one of Hile's teammates missed a free throw. Hile retrieved the rebound and went back up with the ball, scoring her 2,116th and 2,117th points. With this basket, Hile became the leading scorer in USF basketball history, men's and women's. She surpassed three-time All-American, Bill Cartwright's points total (22).
"I love the way it happened because it was off a rebound, and I loved rebounding. I probably even enjoyed that more than the scoring."
Commemorating a Legacy
During the last home game of her senior season, Hile's jersey was retired by the university. She became the fifth basketball player and first woman to have their number retired. Hile was inducted into the USF athletics Hall of Fame in 1985, the first woman inducted (9).
In the moment I don't think I realized maybe the impact of it. I appreciated it, you know, to get the recognition. But I think as I look back on it, I think it was another milestone, you know, for women's sports here that women are being recognized and honored."
After her senior season, Hile considered the possibility of continuing her basketball career professionally with the San Francisco Pioneers, a team in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WPBL). However, by March 1981, the young league dissolved due to financial stress and management instability (12). Meanwhile, Hile applied for graduate programs in physical education with an emphasis in sports administration. She was slated to attend Ohio State on a fellowship in the fall, serving as the Graduate Assistant Coach for Tara VanDerveer.
However, that fall Hile was presented with the opportunity to continue her playing career in Italy. She moved in with her older brother, who lived in Milan at the time. But after a bout of appendicitis and a meniscus tear, Hile felt her time playing had come to a close. She returned to California to pursue her graduate education. She became the grad assistant at Long Beach State, where she met her husband, Bill Nepfel.
Hile-Nepfel's Homecoming
In 1987, Hile received a phone call from the USF athletic director, Father Sunderland: the women's basketball head and assistant coaching roles had opened up. The only question was which spouse would fulfill the head coaching role. Sunderland left the decision up to the couple. Bill consulted his friends, Jim Bolla and Sheila Strike-Bolla, married co-head coaches at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. After this conversation, Bill felt confident he and Hile could make co-head coaching work.
Obviously, I think it depends on the two people that are doing it...because it's 24/7 and it's 365 days a year....There's no doubt, you know, what we both wanted to do here. And so it worked."
Over the course of their tenure as co-head coaches, the couple boasted a 196-167 record, a .540 winning percentage (21). Most prominently, the couple coached the Dons to three straight West Coast Conference championships and NCAA Tournament berths from 1995-1997.
With the WCC championship win in 1995, the program earned its first NCAA Tournament bid.
Pictured here is, two-time NCAA champion at Stanford and current USF women's basketball head coach, Molly Goodenbour. Goodenbour served a few stints as assistant coach at USF until taking on the head coaching role in 2016 (10).
Jamie Shadian and Renee Demirdjian hoist the WCC championship trophy in 1996. The team earned its second consecutive conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
In the NCAA Tournament, the twelfth-seeded Dons played the five-seed Florida at Cameroon Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. After upsetting the Gators, they then faced the four-seed Duke in their home arena. The Dons shocked the Blue Devils and their passionate fanbase with a dominant win (8). This group became the first WCC team and the first ever 12-seed to advance to the Sweet Sixteen in the Women's NCAA Tournament (16).
After defeating Florida and Duke in Durham, the Dons returned to San Francisco for a few days before flying back east to take on Connecticut the next weekend of the tournament. While these two cross-country trips were certainly not kind to the Dons and their playing schedule, Hile maintains this trip home was important for the program and for the women.
I wanted them to get the recognition...I just wanted them to experience that success...to bring it home."
Bill Cartwright was not the only Don "threepeating" championships in the 1990s with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. In 1997, for the third year in a row, Hile-Nepfel's Dons sat atop the WCC. They remained the only team to accomplish this feat in the WCC until Courtney Vandersloot led Gonzaga to three straight championships in 2009-11 (24).
Brittany Lindhe
Brittany Lindhe played a critical role in the Dons' success in each of these championships. In 1995, Lindhe was named WCC Freshman of the Year. She was also named to the All-WCC First-Team. Lindhe repeated this honor the next two seasons. She was named preseason honorable mention All-American before the 1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons (3).
Due to injury, Lindhe sat out of competition for the 1997-98 season. After a triumphant return in her senior year, Lindhe became an All-WCC First-Team honoree for the fourth time. She is the first player in WCC history, men's or women's, to earn this honor all four years of her collegiate career (5). Only four other women have accomplished this feat since, including USF's Dominique Carter (24).
"I always felt like Brittany was the catalyst...I just always felt that she was kind of that missing piece that then elevated the program, you know, to that next level."
Following Lindhe's career, Hile made the decision to retire Lindhe's jersey number. She was the second woman to receive this honor, after Hile herself. Lindhe was inducted into the USF Hall of Fame in 2005 (5).
Return to Coaching
We had a couple opportunities while we were coaching to go to other programs, but I didn't want to leave USF and so we stayed...There really wasn't another place that I wanted to coach at."
Nepfel left the head coaching position in 2000. From 2000 to 2006 Hile coached the Dons solo.
Hile later accepted the position of girls' head basketball coach at San Francisco University High School. She coached for eleven seasons, retiring in Spring 2024 (14).
The girls taught me a lot, as well as I'm sure I taught them a little bit."
Hile's Involvement on Campus
About a year ago Hile started a program at USF, connecting with women's athletic programs through Ignatian spirituality. Hile regularly attends athletic events, hoping to support these young women along their journeys at USF. Looking to the future, Hile hopes to see the women's basketball alumni come together more to connect with current athletes.
Hile's story is a testament to the value of investment in women's sports. Title IX opened doors for women across the country. Five decades later, women's basketball is thriving at the collegiate and professional level. Just as women of Hile's generation preceded the incorporation of women into NCAA play, Hile cites the women that came before her, women that played before the establishment of collegiate governing bodies and scholarship opportunities.
There's still this struggle to be better, to do better, to have more opportunities and equal opportunities...I think we're closer than we've ever been, but I don't think we can rest on our laurels...We want to grow the sport. We want to get better."
The Golden State Valkyries, the most recent expansion franchise of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), plays its first regular-season game on May 16, 2025 (13). The legacies of Mary Hile and the University of San Francisco women's basketball program reflect the rich history of women's basketball in the city. The women's game has always been engaging, and now more eyes are on these young women than ever before.
It's about time."
Acknowledgments
I would like to extend much gratitude to Annie Reid, USF head archivist and my internship supervisor this semester. I would also like to thank John Hawke and Gina Solares, librarians in the Special Collections department. I would also like to thank my major advisor, Professor Katrina Olds for her role in directing me towards this internship.
I want to extend a HUGE thank you to Mary Hile-Nepfel herself for agreeing to sit down with me for an interview. Conducting this research and putting together this display has been a great joy and learning experience. Our full conversation can be accessed here.
Works Cited
1. “1977-78 Women’s Basketball Media Guide.” University of San Francisco Dons. 1977.
2. “1980 AIAW Tournament Bracket.” W. Hoops 1979-1980, Basketball Women’s Player Stats. 1980.
3. “1998-99 Lady Dons.” University of San Francisco Women’s Basketball. 1998, pg. 5.
4. Bechtel, Mark. “AIAW vs. NCAA: When Women’s College Basketball Had to Choose.” Last modified June 14, 2022. https://www.si.com/college/2022/06/14/aiaw-ncaa-womens-college-basketball-league-title-ix-daily-cover.
5. “Brittany Lindhe.” USF Dons. Accessed April 23, 2025. https://usfdons.com/honors/hall-of-fame/brittany-lindhe/74/kiosk.
6. “Coaches Polls National Rankings.” W. Hoops 1979-80, Basketball Women’s Player Stats. 1980.
7. Hile-Nepfel, Mary. Interview by Alana Loya. April 2, 2025. https://usfca.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=d57e5009-5c34-4c0f-bdb7-b2bc013d4f79.
8. Fitterer, Frankie. “USF Storms into Tournament.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol. 92, No. 16, 21 March 1996, p. 12-13.
9. “Mary Hile-Nepfel.” USF Dons. Accessed April 23, 2025, https://usfdons.com/honors/hall-of-fame/mary-hile-nepfel/72.
10. “Molly Goodenbour,” USF Dons. Accessed April 23, 2025, https://usfdons.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/molly-goodenbour/995.
11. “NorCal Coach of the Year 1978 Walt Bugler.” USF Sports News Report. 1980.
12. Porter, Karra. Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women’s Professional Basketball League, 1978-1981. Lincoln & London: University of Nebraska Press, 2006.
13. “Schedule.” Golden State Valkyries. Accessed April 23, 2025, https://valkyries.wnba.com/schedule?season=2025&month=all&location=all&opponent=all.
14. Stephens, Mitch. “Mary Hile-Nepfel Retires From Coaching After Storied Run at USF, University High.” San Francisco Chronicle online. April 9, 2024. https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/high-school/article/coach-mary-hile-nepfel-retires-long-run-usf-19392464.php.
15. “Super Star to Visit USF.” University of San Francisco Foghorn, Vol. 71, No. 18, 18 March 1977, p. 6.
16. “These are the Lowest Seeds to Advance to Each Round in NCAA Women’s Basketball History.” National Collegiate Athletic Association. March 30, 2025. https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2025-02-04/ncaa-womens-basketball-tournament-history-lowest-seeds-win-round.
17. “Three-Peat!” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol. 93, No. 16, 6 March 1997, p. 1.
18. Torres, Jessica. “Sideline Bliss: Lady Dons Led by Happy Couple of Coaches.” San Francisco Foghorn, Vol. 94, No. 7, 6 November 1997, p. 14.
19. “USF Women’s Basketball Media Guide 1980-81.” University of San Francisco Women’s Basketball. 1980, p. 6.
20. “Wade Trophy.” Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. Accessed APril 23, 2025, https://wbca.org/awards/wade-trophy/.
21. “WBB All-Time Records.” USF Dons. Accessed April 23, 2025, https://usfdons.com/sports/2016/3/12/wbb-all-time-records.aspx?id=261.
22. “William ‘Bill’ Cartwright.’” USF Dons. Accessed April 23, 2025, https://usfdons.com/honors/hall-of-fame/william-bill-cartwright/33.
23. Williams, Diane Lynn. “Inside the AIAW: the philosophy, people, and power of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).” PhD diss., University of Iowa, 2020. Iowa Research Online.
24. "Women’s Basketball Record Book.” WCC Sports. October 1, 2024. https://wccsports.com/documents/2024/10/8/2024_25_WBB_Record_Book.pdf.