Director of Athletics Matthew Glovaski announced the appointment of Angelika Szumilo as head coach of the Iona University women’s basketball program. Szumilo comes to Iona after serving in the same role at Fairleigh Dickinson University for the past four seasons. In her last two years at FDU, Szumilo captured back-to-back Northeast Conference regular season championships and Coach of the Year honors.
“It’s an honor and privilege to be named the next head women’s basketball coach at Iona University. My family and I truly believe Iona is a very special place and we are excited to be part of this incredible community,” Szumilo said. “I would like to thank Dr. Seamus Carey, Director of Athletics Matt Glovaski, Deputy Athletics Director Tom Moran and the rest of the hiring committee for believing in me and giving me the tremendous opportunity to lead this program. My ultimate goal has always been and will continue to be to help our student-athletes become leaders and champions in life. We will strive towards excellence in the classroom and on the basketball court, while serving as role models in the community around us.”
“I want to congratulate Coach Billi Chambers, her staff and this year’s team for their amazing season and NCAA postseason berth,” Szumilo continued. “I’m beyond excited to meet with the players and start working towards next season. I am ready to hit the ground running with the Gaels!”
Szumilo’s head coaching career began at Fairleigh Dickinson, a successful four-year tenure that started in 2019-20 when she took the Knights from 8-22 the year prior to her arrival to a .500 record in league play and the program’s first NEC Tournament victory since 1992. Szumilo guided the Knights back to a second consecutive NEC semifinal game in 2020-21 before capturing back-to-back NEC regular season championships in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Fairleigh Dickinson enjoyed its most decorated season in program history under Szumilo’s tutelage last season, leading the entire nation in three-point percentage defense and finishing seventh in Division I in scoring defense. The Knights finished the season with a 24-8 overall record, a 14-2 mark in conference play, and earned a trip to the NEC Championship against Sacred Heart. Despite the championship game loss to SHU, FDU made a second consecutive trip to the WNIT, facing the eventual runner-up Columbia in the first round. In four seasons at the helm of the FDU program, Szumilo compiled a 72-45 overall record and a 50-20 mark in league play. She leaves as the second-winningest coach in program history.
“We are ecstatic to welcome Angelika, her husband Rafal, and their two sons, Krystian and Daniel to the Iona family,” Glovaski said. “From the first time we spoke, it was clear that Ang embodied the attributes we looked for in the leader of our women’s basketball program. Ang has won at every stop along her coaching career, and we are excited to watch as she continues to build our program into the future.”
Prior to arriving at Fairleigh Dickinson, Szumilo was an Associate Head Coach at Fordham University from 2011-19. During her time in the Bronx, the Rams won two Atlantic 10 Championships, made two NCAA tournament appearances, and enjoyed four trips to the WNIT. Szumilo also served as the recruiting coordinator with the Rams, helping recruit four first team All-A10 players and one A10 Defensive Player of the Year.
Szumilo came to Fordham from Monmouth University, where she was an assistant coach from 2008-10 before being promoted to associate head coach for the 2010-11 season. She helped the Hawks to the program’s first 20-win season since 1983, culminating with a trip to the WNIT.
Szumilo’s coaching career began at LIU Brooklyn, where she was a two-sport athlete (basketball and lacrosse). As a basketball student-athlete, she had 136 assists in her first season and helped the Blackbirds capture the 2001 NEC title. The following season Szumilo was named the school’s Scholar Athlete of the Year. A two-year starter at LIU, she played for former Iona women’s basketball head coach Anthony Bozzella. Szumilo graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Science with specialization in Adapted Physical Science.
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