Anne Watkins, the reigning Eastern Dakota Conference girls basketball coach of the year at Fargo North, resigned due to personal reasons, the school announced Monday.
Watkins was engaged last month at a Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks game and plans to move to the Twin Cities area with her fiancé.
"There's a lot of memories and a lot of great players who have played for me," Watkins said. "It's hard to say goodbye."
Watkins guided the Spartans to five consectutive state tournament berths, including a 2001 state championship. She leaves North with a record of 97-30.
This past March, the Spartans rode a 50-game winning streak into the state championship game before losing to Mandan. In the last three seasons, Watkins led North to a 70-5 record, including an undefeated season in 2001 ending with the school's second state title.
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"Watkins has been a valuable asset to students and athletes," North principal Andy Dahlen said, noting her development of youth and elementary programs. "She is an outstanding teacher and coach and she will be missed."
Watkins spent two years as an assistant coach at North before replacing Mark Askerooth in the fall of 1998.
Previously, she was the head coach at Lustre, Mont., before her move to Fargo in 1994.
