In her very first game as a head coach, Frese led Ball State to an upset win over Minnesota. Less than two years later, Minnesota hired Frese as their new head coach. During her 2001–02 season at Minnesota, she led a one-year turnaround of 8–20 to 22–8, one of the biggest in NCAA history. Minnesota made it to the 2nd round of the NCAA Championship that year, and Frese was named the AP National Coach of the Year for 2002. Minnesota's fan base quickly grew and the team was able to make a move to start playing its games in the same arena as the men's team. After turning around the Minnesota program, Frese became a sought after coach and drew interest from Maryland, Ohio State and Florida. Maryland Athletic Director Debbie Yow sealed the deal the night of the 2002 Men's NCAA Basketball Championship game, in which Maryland defeated Indiana for the national championship. Frese was awarded the US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) Coach of the Year award in 2002. Maryland When Frese arrived at Maryland prior to the 2002–03 season, she brought with her the buzz of a rising star in the women's hoops coaching world, as well as a remarkable recruiting acumen. Her first highly coveted recruits, Shay Doron and Kalika France, marked the beginning of an ever-expanding stream of blue-chip talent choosing to take their talents to College Park. Despite winning only 10 games in her first season, Frese, the 2002 AP National Coach of the Year, has quickly returned Maryland to national prominence. As of the end of the 2012–13 season, Frese has guided Maryland to an overall record of 278–94 (.750) including nine NCAA tournament berths, nine consecutive 20-win seasons, six 25+ win seasons, four 30+ win seasons, four Elite Eights, the program's fourth NCAA Final Four appearance and the 2006 NCAA Women's Basketball National Championship. Maryland received its first-ever No. 1 preseason national ranking in 2006–07. The Terps remained in the top spot in the polls for 10-consecutive weeks. Frese led Maryland to the 2008–09 ACC regular season and 2009 ACC Tournament championships, as well as the 2012 ACC Tournament championship. Player-wise, all seniors to play for Frese at Maryland have graduated. Frese's high octane Maryland program has also produced six "Top Ten" WNBA Draft Picks- Crystal Langhorne (2008), Laura Harper (2008), Marissa Coleman (2009), Kristi Toliver (2009), Tianna Hawkins (2012) and Alyssa