Heather Jacobs, who has built a pair of championship programs during her nine-year coaching career, has been named head women’s basketball coach at Wagner College, athletic director Walt Hameline announced.
Jacobs, who will be formally introduced at an on-campus press conference on Wednesday, April 20 at 11:30 a.m. in the VIP Room at the Spiro Sports Center, becomes the ninth head coach in Seahawk women’s basketball history.
Widely regarded as a rising star in the coaching profession, Jacobs has served the last six seasons as head coach at Adelphi University in Garden City, NY, where she led the Panthers to unprecedented success during her tenure.
The high water mark for Jacobs at Adelphi came in 2014-15 when she led her team to a 28-4 record and an 18-2 mark in the NE-10 Conference, claiming the program’s first-ever league championship and hosting the NCAA Division II East Regional. Adelphi was ranked as high as No. 3 in the nation and tied a program record for most wins in a season, and Jacobs earned ECAC Division II and All-Met Coach of the Year honors by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA).
Jacobs came to Adelphi, where she also served as assistant athletic director, following a three year stint as the head coach/senior women’s administrator at Daniel Webster College, a Division III institution in Nashua, NH. In 2009-10, she was named the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Coach of the Year after with a school record best finish of 20-6 and a regular season conference title.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Heather Jacobs to Wagner College and the Northeast Conference,” said Hameline. “Heather comes to us with nine years of head coaching experience and has been the architect of championship programs at both the Division II and Division III levels, so her hiring at Wagner marks a natural progression in her career.
“Having coached at Adelphi for the last six years, she understands the recruiting landscape in the New York metropolitan area,” Hameline added. “I’m excited about Heather’s vision for Wagner women’s basketball and am confident that our student-athletes will benefit greatly from her proven leadership abilities.”
During her six years at Adelphi, Jacobs guided the Panthers to four consecutive winning seasons, including a pair of 20-plus win campaigns, while amassing an overall record of 101-72 (.584), including a 65-61 (.516) mark in the NE-10.
After taking over a 4-23 program at Adelphi, Jacobs doubled the team’s win total in year one. In her first two years she laid the foundation for success over the next four seasons, guiding the Panthers to records of 15-13, 23-8, 28-14 and 18-12 from 2012-13 to 2015-16.
“Wagner is a terrific place filled with great people, which was evident from the moment I walked onto campus,” said Jacobs. “With a small school environment, but being located in New York City, it offers the best of all worlds, while also being coupled with Division I basketball.
“I am extremely excited about the potential here and eager to get started building Wagner women’s basketball,” she added. “I would like to to thank Dr. Richard Guarasci (Wagner College President),Walt Hameline (Athletic Director), Peg Hefferan (Senior Associate Athletic Director / Senior Women’s Administrator) and the entire search committee for giving me this opportunity.”
Prior to capping her three-year tenure at Daniel Webster with a 20-6 season in 2009-10, Jacobs directed the Eagles to a 17-11 record in 2008-09, attaining the program’s first winning season and postseason appearance in 10 years. The Eagles also advanced to the NECC’s inaugural championship game. Daniel Webster was 47-32 in Jacobs’ three seasons, including 37-17 in her final two years.
Hired as the youngest head coach in the NCAA in 2007, Jacobs inherited a team that had won just eight games in the previous year, and guided the Eagles to a 10-15 record her first season. It was one of just three losing seasons in her nine-year head coaching career.
In addition to her coaching duties, she also served as the athletic program’s senior woman administrator. Prior to her appointment at Daniel Webster, she spent one year as an assistant coach at Norwich University. The Lady Cadets posted a 24-4 overall record and advanced to the conference tournament championship game before earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
A native of Stoughton, MA, Jacobs is a 2006 graduate of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH, where she earned magna cum laude honors with a Sports and Recreation Management major, and a minor in Marketing.
Also proficient on the hardwood, Jacobs was a two-time Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic selection. She capped her playing career by earning All-Conference (second team) accolades while leading the team in scoring and the league in free throw shooting percentage. A two-time captain and the team’s most valuable player as a junior and senior, Jacobs ranked 20th on the Ravens’ all-time scoring list and 19th all-time in rebounding at the time of her graduation.
Photo Courtesy Wagner Athletics
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