Indiana University Northwest

Nicki Monahan-Keith enters her second season as head coach of the Indiana University Northwest women’s basketball program. A familiar and respected figure within the RedHawk community, Monahan-Keith has played an instrumental role in the program’s success both as a coach and as one of its all-time great student-athletes. Monahan-Keith’s first season was littered with accomplishments. She guided the RedHawks to a 23-8 (15-5 CCAC) overall record including a CCAC Tournament Semifinal appearance and a bid to the NAIA National Tournament. Under her leadership, Jessica Carrothers was named CCAC Offensive Player of the Week an unprecedented eight times, CCAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, 1st Team All-American and WBCA NAIA National Player of the Year. Carrothers also was the NAIA leading scorer for the year. Tiara Jackson was named Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week for the CCAC as well as 2nd Team All-CCAC during the season. Coach Monahan-Keith also had four players named to the CCAC All-Academic Team (Jessica Carrothers, Maranda Mason, Alyna Santiago, and Emma Schmidt).

Before taking over the program, Monahan-Keith spent the last three seasons as the top assistant coach under former head coach Jesse Ford. During that time, she helped guide the RedHawks to 60 wins and a berth in the 2023 NAIA National Tournament. IU Northwest also made three consecutive appearances in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Tournament, highlighted by a trip to the conference championship game in 2023. Prior to that, Monahan-Keith served as an assistant coach under former head coach and current Director of Athletics, Ryan Shelton, during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

Monahan-Keith’s coaching tenure has been marked by player development and team cohesion. She played a key role in mentoring several all-conference performers, including CCAC Defensive Player of the Year Tiara Jackson and CCAC Player of the Year and NAIA All-American Jessica Carrothers.

As a student-athlete, Monahan-Keith is one of the most accomplished players in IU Northwest history. A four-year standout from 2013 to 2017, she ranks second all-time in scoring with 2,219 career points and averaged 17.9 points per game. She was named the 2014 A.I.I. Freshman of the Year and earned First Team All-Conference honors in all four seasons. Monahan-Keith was a two-time A.I.I. Conference Player of the Year (2015 and 2017) and a three-time NAIA All-American. In 2017, she led the RedHawks to the program’s third NAIA Tournament appearance. In recognition of her achievements, her No. 22 jersey was retired in 2022.

A native of Portage, Indiana, Monahan-Keith was a four-year letterwinner at Portage High School. She remains the school’s all-time leading scorer and was recognized as an Indiana Junior All-Star.

Monahan-Keith earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from IU Northwest in 2017. She later completed an Associate of Science in Physical Therapist Assistant from Ivy Tech Community College and has worked at Lakeshore Bone and Joint Institute since 2020.

She resides in Portage with her husband, Kyle, and their son, Kole.