The 2008-09 season will mark the seventh season for Shanna Briggs at her alma mater.

Briggs has compiled a 142-26 record in her first six seasons and has led the Cowgirls to the NCAA Final Four, the NCAA Elite Eight two times, the NCAA Sweet 16 three times and has won two American Southwest Conference titles and three ASC West Division titles.

She guided last season’s team that did not return a starter from the year before to a record of 21-6. All six losses were to team’s that made the NCAA Tournament. The Cowgirls return the nucleus of that team for 2009 and the team is expected to be the favorite in the ASC West and should contend once again for a NCAA berth.

The 2007 team was ranked No. 1 in the nation by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association in team grade point average. It was the fourth time in her first five years the Cowgirls had been named to the WBCA Top 25 in academics.
The Cowgirls also led the nation in field goal percentage in 2007 and HSU was third in the nation in scoring. The Cowgirls also ranked eighth in the nation in home attendance, marking the 10th straight year HSU has been in the Division III Top 10.

Briggs has coached 15 players to All-ASC accolades, including Rachel Cisneroz (second team, Ashley Allen (second team) and Lindsey Newcombe (honorable mention). Allen was named newcomer of the year and to the all-defense team and Newcombe was named to the all-freshman team last season.

In 2007, Lyssa Dennard (first team), Laci Walker (second team) and Melissa Contrucci (honorable mention) earned All-ASC honors. Dennard was also named the ASC defensive player of the year.

In the 2006 Final Four season, Sonya West and Melissa Henley were second-team All-ASC selections last season. Diana Martinez earned All-ASC honors in 2005 for the Cowgirls and Melissa Henley was an All-ASC West Division selection. In 2004, Lauren Harris and Diana Martinez were named All-ASC and Veronica Jones was named ASC Defensive player of the year. Harris was a finalist for the Josten's Trophy as the nation's top student-athlete. She was a Kodak All-American.

In 2003, she led the Cowgirls to a No. 1 national ranking, an American Southwest Conference Championship and coached six players to All-ASC honors. She also coached Kendra Anderson to national player of the year honor in 2003s. Briggs was awarded ASC West Division Conference Coach of the Year.

Briggs had a record-setting career as a player at Hardin-Simmons from 1992-95. She most recently served as the head girl's basketball coach and Girls Athletic Coordinator at Decatur High School in 2001-02. She was named Wise County Coach of the Year, District 6-3A Coach of the Year and led Decatur to the Regional Tournament.
In 2000-01, she led Venus High School to the playoffs and also led the cross country team to the regionals. Briggs began her coaching career as an assistant varsity basketball, junior varsity head basketball, assistant track and freshman volleyball coach at Abilene High School. She was with the Eagles from 1996 to 2000.

At Hardin-Simmons, Briggs was a three-time all-conference selection, including first-team honors in 1994 and 1995. She was an honorable mention All-American in 1995 and was three times an Academic All-Conference selection. Her teams won three conference titles at Hardin-Simmons and she played in two NAIA National Tournaments (1994 and 1995).
Briggs scored 1,365 points to rank fifth on the career scoring list at Hardin-Simmons and is the school's all-time leader in points scored in a season (576) and 3-pointers made in a game (8), season (71) and career (146). She is second in 3-point percentage making 105-of-242 (.434) shots. She also ranks fifth in career assists (229), fourth in blocked shots (38) and eighth in rebounds (364) in HSU Cowgirl history. She played her final two seasons under her predecessor Julie Goodenough.

Orsak begins her fifth season as an assistant coach for the Cowgirl basketball program.

She is involved in all aspects of the Cowgirl program including recruiting, on-the-court coaching, arranging travel and other administrative duties.

A former Cowgirl player, she had one of the best season¹s ever by a HSU point guard her senior season. She was named the ASC Defensive Player of the Year in the conference as a senior and had 157 points, 122 rebounds, 109 steals and 122 assists in 2001 as a senior.

She was a four-year letterman for the Cowgirls. She was named the top female student as a senior at Hardin-Simmons earning the Olsen Medal and has a degree with a 4.0 in Computer Science. Orsak was an academic all-district selection. She also earned a master's degree from HSU.