Emma Purfeerst begins her third season as the Vikings head coach in 2025-26 and her eightth total with the program. She has helped the Vikings win three Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament championships, and three UMAC regular season championships in her times as an assistant and associate head coach.
During the 2024-25 season, the Vikings posted an overall record of 11-15 and went on to a 10-4 mark in the UMAC. Bethany advanced to the UMAC Tournament, falling to Northwestern in the first round. The Vikings had three players named UMAC All-Conference with Arinn McGee being named the conference's Rookie of the Year.
In her first season, the Vikings posted a 7-18 overall record and 7-7 mark in the UMAC. Three Vikings earned All-Conference in Purfeerst's first season.
Purfeerst comes to Bethany after four seasons as an assistant girls basketball coach at Waverly High School in Nebraska. As a member of the coaching staff, she helped the team to a Class B State Runner-Up finish in 2016.
Purfeerst graduated in 2014 from Carleton College with a BA in Biology. As a basketball player for the Knights, she was a four year starter and two year captain. Purfeerst also earned MIAC All First Year Team honors and received the MIAC Sportsmanship Award.
Following her senior season of basketball, she participated in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) "So You Want to be a Coach" program at the Division I Women's Final Four.
Purfeest is a WBCA member, was a two-year participant in the WBCA Coach to Coach mentorship program, and a WeCOACH member.
She completed the NCAA Women Coaches Academy in the summer of 2021. As a graduate of the 2021 NCAA Women Coaches Academy Class #50. The NCAA Women Coaches Academy, hosted in partnership between WeCOACH and the NCAA, is a four-day educational training available to NCAA coaches of all experience levels, and is designed for women coaches who are ready to increase their individual effectiveness by learning advanced skills and strategies that directly affect their personal and team success
Purfeest is also an adjunct instructor at BLC in biology, exercise science, and physical education and was named the athletic department's senior woman administrator in the spring of 2024.
Under Purfeerst
All-Conference: 6
Rookie of the Year: 1
| Season |
Record |
| 2023-24 |
7-18 |
| 2024-25 |
11-15 |
| Total |
18-33 |
