South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley headlines the late-season list of Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Award contenders.

Staley, who has won the award three times in the past four seasons, is one of 15 coaches on the list that was unveiled on Wednesday.

2024 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Award Watch List

• Dawn Staley, South Carolina
• Kim Mulkey, LSU
• Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
• Kevin McGuff, Ohio State
• Lisa Bluder, Iowa
• Kenny Brooks, Virginia Tech
• Cori Close, UCLA
• Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
• Lindsay Gottlieb, USC
• Felisha Legette-Jack, Syracuse
• Jeff Mittie, Kansas State
• Wes Moore, North Carolina State
• JR Payne, Colorado
• Scott Rueck, Oregon State
• Vic Schaefer, Texas

After coming into the year ranked No. 6 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25, the Gamecocks moved into the top spot on Nov. 13 and haven't looked back. They are the only remaining undefeated team in Division I with a 25-0 record.

Staley can join Geno Auriemma and Pat Summitt as the only women's coaches with four Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Awards if she wins this year. She would also be the first men's or women's coach to win it in three consecutive seasons.

Each of the coaches whose team is ranked in the top 13 of the current AP poll are among the contenders challenging Staley for the award.

Kevin McGuff has Ohio State up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 with a 22-3 record. The Buckeyes are riding a 12-game winning streak since their Dec. 18 loss to UCLA. They have a chance to set a new school record for victories in a season. The current record of 31 was set in 2009-10.

Stanford's Tara VanDerveer is the only person other than Staley who has won the Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Award in the past four seasons. She took home the honor for leading the Cardinal to a 31-2 record and the national title during the 2020-21 season.

VanDerveer has the Cardinal in the title mix again with a 23-3 record. The Hall of Famer would capture her fourth Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Award if she wins this season. Her first one was for the 1989-90 season when Stanford won its first national championship.

Lisa Fortier has turned the Gonzaga women's program into a national powerhouse. The Bulldogs have climbed up to No. 16 in the AP Top 25 after being unranked for the first four polls released this season.

Gonzaga's 26-2 record is only five wins away from tying the program's single-season mark for victories in a season (31 in 2010-11).

The winner of the 2023-24 Werner Ladder Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Award will be announced in April leading up to the Final Four.