Seton Hill names head coach

Seton Hill University President JoAnne Boyle has announced the hiring of Mark Katarski as the school’s Head Women’s Basketball Coach. Katarski takes over for Ferne Labati who recently announced her retirement.

"I am humbled and honored to be a part of Seton Hill University and lead its women’s basketball program,” stated Katarski. “I am grateful to President Boyle, Interim President Boerio, and Athletic Director Chris Snyder for this opportunity. Our hope will be to maintain the success that Coach Labati and the players had as we enter the PSAC."

Katarski’s first season as head coach will also be the team’s first season in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Mark will be taking over a program that finished the 2012-13 season with a 19-13 record and played in the WVIAC Championship game.

Katarski comes to Seton Hill from Niagara University where he spent two seasons as an assistant for the Division I program. In his first year with Niagara, a campaign that saw the Purple Eagles land the fifth best turnaround in the NCAA, Katarski coached guards Kayla Stroman and Meghan McGuinness to post-season conference honors. Stroman was named to the All-MAAC Second Team and McGuinness made the MAAC All-Rookie Team after she led the MAAC with a 46.1 three-point.

Prior to Niagara, Katarski spent six seasons as the head women’s basketball coach at Division III Chatham University in Pittsburgh. Katarski turned a once dormant program into a contender in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC). The Cougars recorded four consecutive seasons with double-digit victories and reached the conference tournament semifinal twice during his coaching tenure. In 2007 they made it to the conference semifinals for the first time in the program’s history followed by another appearance in 2010, this time as members of the PAC, after winning the school’s first playoff game. Under Katarski they also claimed the program’s first-ever in-season tournament championship in 2009, while a dozen players earned all-conference honors during his tenure.

The Mt Pleasant, PA native arrived at Chatham from the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg where he served as the Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach for five seasons from 2000-2005. At Pitt Greensburg, he led the program to its first conference title in 2003 and earned two berths to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Off the court, Katarski’s basketball programs are extremely active in community service projects such as the award-winning “Purple Reign” initiative, the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, the Children’s Institute and the Make-a-Wish foundation. In the classroom, Katarski’s teams have also been strong. The 2005-06 team posted an impressive 3.435 GPA, 12th in the WBCA Division III Team Honor Roll and the 2008-09 team led the conference in all-academic honorees.

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