Having been in every position a person can have within the program has prepared Jenna Santi for her newest and most important role–that of being the leader as she has been named the new Head Women’s Basketball Coach at William Penn University.
Santi is being promoted after serving as an assistant in the program for the last three years, including two as the recruiting coordinator, under previous head man Steve Williamson. She is the ninth coach in program history.
A formal introduction of Santi will be held next Wednesday, April 28 at 10 a.m. on Facebook Live and the Statesmen Sports Network.
“Coach Santi has been an essential part of our women’s basketball program’s successful resurgence,” Athletics Director Nik Rule said. “She has a unique William Penn story of perseverance, loyalty, and determination which is inspiring and has made her an uncommon person.”
She started her navy and gold career as a player, being on varsity in 2016, 2017, and 2019. From there, Santi transitioned to a graduate assistant coach for two campaigns before moving up to full-time assistant this past season.
“I am unbelievably grateful for the opportunity Nik Rule and University is providing me,” Santi said. “Stepping into the head coaching role will give me the opportunity to represent William Penn at a higher capacity. I am excited to build off the success of the women’s basketball program that has been developed through the years.”
As a coach in 2019 and 2020, the navy and gold posted a 35-16 mark with another trip to nationals. She guided her players to six all-Heart honors, a Heart Newcomer of the Year accolade, and four All-America laurels. Five players received Heart Scholar-Athlete recognition a year ago, while six earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete accolades.
As a varsity player, Santi helped WPU to a 67-34 record, including two trips to the NAIA National Championship, one Heart of America Athletic Conference regular season title, and one Heart Tournament crown. She was twice named an honorable-mention all-Heart selection.
Academically, Santi was a two-time Heart Scholar-Athlete and NAIA Scholar-Athlete. Santi also earned the 2017-2018 Female Comeback Player of the Year Award at the Statesmen Awards.
“Throughout this process, our hiring committee was blown away with how prepared Coach Santi was, how she articulated her vision for the program, and how she planned to execute her plan for enhancements,” Rule said. “It became clear that in addition to her proven record of achievement as a player and moving up the ranks as an assistant coach, she also saw the areas where we could further push forward the overall student-athlete experience, possessing a unique mix of energetic leadership, dedication to the big picture, and pure love for William Penn.”
The women’s basketball program began in 1973-1974 and is arguably the most-storied squad on campus, owning the school’s lone team national title in 1980-1981.
“Coach Santi’s expectations for the program align perfectly with that of our athletic department’s–a focus on the overall student-experience, a team connected with our campus, exceptional performance in the classroom, and achieving at a high level on the court,” Rule said. “We are thrilled that Coach Santi is our next head women’s basketball coach.”
Santi graduated from William Penn in 2018 with a degree in Sports Management and earned her Master’s of Business Leadership degree from WPU in 2020.
