Story Courtesy: Derek Behrenshausen – Director of Athletic Communications, York College

The York College Athletics and Recreation Department has announced the hiring of Kaleigh Badecki as the new women’s basketball head coach. Badecki is just the fourth different head coach in Spartan history dating back to 1987. She takes over for Katie Kilpatrick ’19 who stepped down following one season at the helm.

“It is an honor to be selected as the next head women’s basketball coach at York College. I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to lead a program that reflects the institution’s commitment to academic and athletic excellence,” stated Badecki. “I want to express my sincere appreciation to Paul Saikia and the search committee for their support. I look forward to building something special with a great group of people. Go Spartans!”

Badecki arrives in York following a successful 10-year run as the assistant coach on the Gettysburg College women’s basketball staff. During her tenure at Gettysburg, the Bullets compiled an overall record of 209-48 with nine 20-win seasons, eight NCAA postseason appearances and six Centennial Conference titles.

While at Gettysburg, Badecki oversaw the development of four WBCA All-Americans, including Emily Gibbons who ended her career as the program’s all-time leader in rebounds and Emma Dorshimer who finished second in school history in scoring. The Bullets also collected five Centennial Conference Player of the Year awards and 25 All-Centennial honors during Badecki’s tenure.

“As we conducted our coaching search, we became certain that Kaleigh Badecki is the right person to lead our women’s basketball program. She spent her previous ten years in a championship-level environment, so she understands what excellence looks like and what it requires,” said Paul Saikia, York College Assistant Dean for Athletics and Recreation. “She has a very strong understanding of the regional recruiting landscape, and she brings the drive and determination to make the most of this opportunity. In short, we believe her time has come. We see an amazing future for Kaleigh, and we know she sees the same potential for York College women’s basketball. We’re excited for her, for our assistant coaches, and of course, for our Spartan student-athletes.”

From 2019-21, Badecki served as an assistant on the Gettysburg men’s golf staff. In her first season coaching the team, the Bullets set a program record for stroke average (303.4), won nine team championships, captured the first conference title in 17 years, and competed at the NCAA Division III Championship. Gettysburg finished as runner-ups during the 2021 conference championship and the team recorded the three lowest season scoring averages in program history.

Badecki arrived in Gettysburg after spending the previous five years at Eastern where she competed in both basketball and golf before joining the coaching staff. As a basketball player, she appeared in 106 games and averaged 4.9 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. She served as team captain under current Gettysburg head coach Nate Davis in 2014-15 when Eastern set a program record for wins (22) and reached the NCAA Division III Championship for the first time in program history. She was a four-time member of the Academic All-Middle Atlantic Conference Team and she was named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Team in 2015.

Badecki was a three-time All-Middle Atlantic Conference performer on the golf course, including first-team honors in 2013 and 2015. She placed second at the conference championship in 2013 as the Eagles claimed the first of back-to-back team titles. Badecki was a four-time academic selection in the MAC and was the team’s MVP twice.

After graduating from Eastern with a degree in marketing and management, Badecki joined the basketball staff as a graduate assistant in 2015-16. She helped lead the team to a 12-13 overall record in her one year as an assistant coach. Kaleigh and her husband, Gettysburg head men’s golf coach, Jason Badecki, reside in Gettysburg with their dog Lincoln and three children.

Badecki and the Spartans will make their 2026-27 debut on November 9 at home against McDaniel College.

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