Purdue Fort Wayne Director of Athletics Kelley Hartley Hutton announced on Tuesday, March 30 that Maria Marchesano would be named the next head coach of the Mastodon women’s basketball program.
“We are very excited about Maria Marchesano joining the Mastodon family,” Hartley Hutton said. “Coach Marchesano brings a wealth of experience, is a seasoned coach and mentor to her student-athletes, and has demonstrated the integrity, tremendous work ethic, and enthusiasm vital to lead us in advancing our women’s basketball program. We looked for a candidate who has ties to the area, Indiana recruiting relationships, and a deep understanding of the Horizon League and we found exactly that in her. Coach Marchesano also understands the needs of our program and the importance of our student-athletes being successful in the classroom and on the court.”
Marchesano is a Fort Wayne native that has won everywhere she’s been. She is coming off a four-year stint at Mount St. Mary’s that was capped off by Northeast Conference regular season and tournament titles and a berth to the 2021 NCAA Tournament. She was named the NEC Coach of the Year in 2021. After an initial season of 9-20 in her first season at the Mount, she led the Mountaineers to 20-11 and 17-7 in years three and four.
“While moves like these are always bittersweet, I couldn’t be more excited to come home to Fort Wayne and be a part of the Mastodon tradition,” Marchesano said. “I am super grateful that Kelley and the rest of the administration are entrusting me with the future of the program and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Marchesano was the associate head coach at IUPUI prior to Mount St. Mary’s, where she helped guide the squad to the most wins in a season in program history in 2016-17, as the Jaguars finished at 24-9 overall and 12-4 in Summit League play. IUPUI made its first appearance in the conference championship game since 2008, and also earned a berth in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) to cap off the season. Marchesano coached three All-Summit League honorees and one Academic All-Summit League member during her season with the Jags.
Prior to her time at IUPUI, Marchesano served for three years as the head coach at NCAA Division II Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio. Marchesano led the team to 52 wins during her three seasons, including back-to-back 20-win campaigns in 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Cavaliers made two GLIAC Tournament Final Four appearances, won three-straight Mayor’s Cup titles, and defeated a pair of Division I teams (Butler & Kent State) during Marchesano’s tenure at the helm.
In her final season at Walsh, Marchesano guided the Cavaliers to a 20-9 overall record and 16-6 mark in GLIAC play, as they earned home-court advantage for the first time ever in the conference tournament. During the regular season, the Cavaliers registered an upset-victory over third-ranked Ashland University, which was the highest-ranked opponent Walsh had ever defeated as a Division II program.
Marchesano got her first experience as a head coach at NCAA Division II Urbana University in Urbana, Ohio midway through the 2011-12 season. She inherited a 2-8 team in January, before turning the season around, guiding the Knights to a 12-7 record after taking over the helm, which included an eight-game winning streak at home. The team qualified for the Division II Ohio Independent Championships, and Marchesano was named the D-II Independent Coach of the Year. The following season, she led the Knights to a G-MAC Conference Tournament Championship.
Before her time at Urbana, Marchesano served as an assistant coach for both the women’s basketball and softball programs at NCAA Division III Manchester University in North Manchester, Indiana from 2010-12.
During her collegiate career, Marchesano was a four-year letter winner at Butler University in women’s basketball, and also played one season on the softball team. She was named the Butler Freshman Female Athlete of the Year, earned Horizon League All-Newcomer Team honors, and was a recipient of the Butler Team Community Service Award. Marchesano finished her career as the second-best three-point shooter in program history. Following her collegiate career, she went on to sign three professional basketball contracts and five professional softball contracts in the Italian Federation.
Marchesano graduated from Butler in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in integrated communications. She received her master’s degree in athletics administration from Northcentral University in 2013.
