Lebanon Valley College has named Amy Sokaitis as its head coach of women’s basketball.
Sokaitis arrives in Annville from NCAA Division II program Southern Connecticut State University, where she has spent the last three years as the top assistant coach. She is Lebanon Valley College’s 11th head coach in the NCAA Division III era.
Sokaitis will be introduced to the LVC community by athletic director Rick Beard ’90 M’92 on Thursday at 2 p.m., with a live stream available on LVCtv.
"I am pleased to announce the appointment of Amy Sokaitis as our head women’s basketball coach," Beard said. "Amy’s energy, enthusiasm, and drive to succeed will be a great formula to continue the tradition of success we have come to expect with our women’s basketball program. "
With Lebanon Valley College, Sokaitis inherits one of the nation’s top programs. The Flying Dutchmen have won three of the last four Commonwealth Conference championships and qualified for five straight NCAA Tournaments, including Elite Eight and Sweet 16 appearances in that span. They return four starters and all but two players overall for 2014-15, led by point guard Kiely Chaklos, dynamic scorers Taylor Umbrell, Peyton Carper, and Bridget Rothert, and post presence Lexie Lantz. LVC was 21-7 in 2013-14.
"I’m very excited and humbled by this opportunity," Sokaitis said. "The commitment to excellence and community atmosphere that Lebanon Valley College exemplifies has been apparent since the first time I stepped on campus. I would like to thank Rick Beard and his staff, the hiring committee, and President Thayne for their confidence in me."
Sokaitis has spent the last three seasons at Southern Connecticut, where she helped the Owls make the NCAA Tournament in 2011-12 and make frequent appearances in the national polls. In 2013-14, SCSU had three All-Northeast 10 selections, and Sokaitis helped recruit and coach the 2013 NE-10 Rookie of the Year. In 2014, eight of SCSU’s 10 players made the Northeast-10 Academic Honor Roll as the team recorded a 3.36 GPA. The Owls were very active in the community during Sokaitis’ tenure, working frequently in academic outreach at local elementary schools and with charities such as the American Heart Association and the Boys and Girls Club.
Sokaitis began her coaching career as an assistant at Yale University, where she spent two seasons. She helped the Bulldogs qualify for the 2011 WNIT Tournament, their first-ever WNIT berth and first postseason appearance of any kind in 32 years. That season included another first as Yale knocked off a nationally-ranked opponent in Florida State.
A native of Fairbanks, Alaska, Sokaitis starred at point guard for Monroe Catholic, helping lead the Rams to a pair of state titles and four regional crowns. She played her collegiate ball at NCAA Division II Western State in Colorado. Coaching runs in her family – her father, Al, is the head men’s coach at Post University in Connecticut and has had a long and successful career at Western State, Alaska Fairbanks, Southern Maine, and North Adams State.
Since 2005, she has remained active in her home state as a clinician with the Challenge Life Youth Foundation, operating camps and clinics throughout the Arctic Slope of Alaska. The foundation promotes athletic participation and healthy lifestyle lessons to the region’s youth, working with communities and schools to mentor students to increase graduation rates and college attendance.
Sokaitis earned her bachelor’s degree in sports management from Western State in 2009 and a master’s degree in Management of Sports Industries from the University of New Haven in 2011.
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