After returning the Fordham Women’s Basketball program to a position of national prominence in just three short seasons, Head Coach Stephanie Gaitley signed a contract extension that will keep her at Rose Hill through the 2020-2021 season, it was announced today by Director of Intercollegiate Athletics David Roach.
"This is a great time to be a Fordham Ram," said Gaitley. "I feel very blessed and thankful to represent Fordham and the Jesuit tradition.
"I think our success is a direct reflection of the outstanding support we receive from our administration and our quality student athletes," Gaitley continued. "The extension of our partnership will allow us to work together to continue to build a nationally recognized program. Fordham is a special place and we want to spread the word."
Members of the Fordham administration shared a similar enthusiasm when speaking about the extension of Gaitley’s tenure.
"We are thrilled that Coach Gaitley will be leading our women’s basketball program for the foreseeable future," said Roach. "Coach Gaitley has done a magnificent coaching job in turning around our program.
"What she has accomplished at Fordham in three short years in truly remarkable," Roach continued. "She certainly ranks as one of the top coaches in the country and we are fortunate to have such an outstanding and caring individual working with our student athletes on a daily basis. I looking forward to working with her next season and for many years to come."
This past spring, Gaitley led the Rams to their first ever Atlantic 10 title, claiming postseason wins over Duquesne, St. Bonaventure and Dayton en route to the conference crown in Richmond.
Gaitley’s third career A-10 Championship secured Fordham a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994, as the Rams ended the campaign with a 25-8 record, the third-highest win total in school history.
Before leading the Rams to the dance in 2014, Gaitley captained one of the best turnarounds in the nation in 2012-2013. After the team went just 12-18 in her first year on the bench at Rose Hill, Gaitley transformed the Rams into a team that finished the season 26-9, reaching the conference championship game and falling just one point short of an A-10 title. Fordham secured a WNIT bid that year, reaching the round of 16 by picking up wins over Army and Boston University. After leading the Rams to their first winning season in nearly two decades, Gaitley was honored by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association as their 2013 Maggie Dixon Metropolitan Coach of the Year,
In just three years at Fordham, Gaitley has landed a player on the Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference two times, while coaching a pair of student athletes to spots on the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team. Gaitley has also guided two players to spots on the Atlantic 10 All-Defensive and All-Rookie Teams. This past season, her two captains, Erin Rooney and Abigail Corning, also found a place on the Academic All-Conference Team.
Fordham is the latest destination in a long and illustrious coaching career for the Ocean City, N.J., native, who will enter her 29th season as a Division I head coach in 2014-2015. She won a pair of conference titles at Richmond in the early 90’s before heading to Saint Joseph’s, where she led the Hawks to two Atlantic 10 crowns and four NCAA Tournament berths. After Saint Joseph’s, Gaitley served stints at LIU-Brooklyn and Monmouth, where she led both programs to WNIT appearances.
The owner of 135 Atlantic 10 victories, Gaitley ranks third in conference history in total wins while sporting a career A-10 winning percentage of .703.
