Lora Westling enters her third season as head coach of Illinois College’s women’s basketball program.

In her first season as head coach of the Lady Blues, Westling guided the team to a five-win improvement in both its overall and MWC records. The Lady Blues followed that in 2014-15 with their first trip to the MWC Tournament in five seasons. Under Westling's guidance, Hannah McGinnis won back-to-back Midwest Conference Player of the Year awards and was a Capital One Academic All-America as a senior.

Westling, a native of Casper, Wyoming, earned a bachelor’s degree from Washburn University in 2005. She earned her MBA from Washburn in 2007. Westling was a standout member of Washburn’s women’s basketball and women’s soccer teams, helping the school’s basketball team to a Division II national championship in 2005. She finished her career as Washburn’s all-time leader in three-pointers made (144) and games played (132).

Westling got her start in coaching at Washburn, where she served as an assistant women’s basketball and women’s soccer coach. She has also coached women’s basketball as an assistant at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Truman State University.

Westling resides in Jacksonville.