McKendree University head women’s basketball coach Kari Kerkhoff has recently announced the addition of Cydni Cole to her coaching staff as an assistant coach. Cole began her duties at McKendree in late April.
“We are excited to welcome Cydni Cole to our program; she is a proven winner. She has playing and coaching experience that will be valuable to us as we continue to make moves in the GLVC. She has a tireless work ethic with a great basketball IQ and is also an experienced recruiter and has a talent for developing players,” Kerkhoff said about Cole. “I know she will be a great role model for our players both on and off the court – showing them how to be successful as student-athletes and young women in society. We are excited for Cydni to make a lasting impact on our program and McKendree.”
Cole comes to McKendree after spending the past three seasons as an assistant women’s basketball coach on Jordan Olufson’s staff at Webster University.
In her three seasons with the Gorloks, who are an NCAA Division III school located in Webster Groves, Mo., and are a charter member of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Cole was a part of three consecutive regular season title teams and two NCAA Division III Tournament teams.
“I am super excited to work with Coach Kerkhoff and Coach Dooley as they are both great women on a mission.” Cole said. “All I can do it thank them both and McKendree University for this opportunity. I am excited for this team and glad to be a part of it.”
Over the past three seasons, the Gorloks have posted a 56-11 overall record and a 38-3 mark in the SLIAC. Webster’s 2021-22 team went undefeated in the regular season and suffered its only loss of the year to Mary Hardin Baylor in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Gorloks finished 2021-22 season with a 25-1 record and went 14-0 in the conference. The 25 consecutive wins are a school record, while the 25 wins tied a single season school record.
In her second season at Webster in 2020-21, the Gorloks posted an 11-2 overall record and an 8-1 mark in the SLIAC. The team captured its second straight regular season SLIAC title and made a run to the SLIAC Tournament where they were defeated by Westminster (Mo.) College.
During her first season at Webster in 2019-20, Cole was part of a Gorlok program that posted a 20-8 overall record and won both the regular season and SLIAC Tournament titles while also advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three years.
Cole played collegiately at both George Mason University and Appalachian State University and also played basketball in England while obtaining her master’s degree from Leeds Beckett University.
As a collegiate women’s basketball player, Cole, who is a native of Glen Burnie, Md., played one season (2014-15) at George Mason University, where she saw action in 28 games and averaged 11 minutes per game as a freshman.
After her freshman campaign at George Mason, Cole transferred to Appalachian State University, where she played just the 2016-17 season for the Mountaineers. As a redshirt sophomore in 2016-17, Cole played in just 16 games thanks to a lower-body injury that forced her to miss 14 games.
Her 2016-17 Appalachian State team won the program’s first-ever Sun Belt Conference Tournament win over Coastal Carolina. Prior to 2014-15 season, Appalachian State was a member of the Southern Conference.
In high school, Cole had a successful career at Indian Creek High School as she was a four-year letterwinner in basketball and earned three letters in soccer. Was a three-time All-County selection in basketball, including earning first team honors in 2012 and was also a two-time Second-Team All-Metro selection in both 2011 and 2012. She also earned First-Team honors for three years from the Baltimore Sun and was the Most Valuable Player at the Elite Showcase Basketball Classic in 2014.
As a junior in high school, Cole averaged 22 points and six boards per game and then averaged 24.2 points and 12.3 rebounds per game as a senior. Additionally, she averaged 4.6 assists per game as a senior.
Cole earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Appalachian State in 2018 and received her Master of Science in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Leeds Beckett University in 2019.
Tagged with: D2 GLVC McKendree
