WINCHESTER, Va. --- Shenandoah University Director
of Intercollegiate Athletics Doug
Zipp announced Monday that Melissa
Kraft has been promoted to head women's basketball
coach.
Kraft, the Hornets top assistant this past season, becomes the 11th
head coach in program history. She succeeds C.K.
Calhoun, who was hired as an assistant coach at DI Lafayette
College two weeks ago.
"Melissa is a bright young coach who is destined for great things,"
Zipp said. "I have been impressed with her since the first time we
met. She embraces the Division III ideals, knows how to win and is
a great fit for Shenandoah.
"Watching her with the team this year and working with her on
involvement in several projects in the department showed me that
she would be an excellent head coaching candidate one day."
"When C.K. resigned, I knew that we didn't have to conduct a
national search because we had the perfect candidate already on
staff. President Fitzsimmons completely agreed with me and so we
moved quickly to promote Melissa."
Kraft, who played collegiately at Drew University, came to SU in
August to be Calhoun's full-time assistant after previous coaching
stops at Plattsburgh (N.Y.) State, Vassar, the University of
Rochester and her alma mater.
Her two years at UR, in which the Yellowjackets won a combined 39
games and made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013, was her third
coaching stop in four years.
The Staten Island, N.Y. native earned her Master of Science Degree
in Higher Education from Rochester in May 2013 and served the
department as the Game Management Coordinator during that time as
well.
From 2009-11, she was an assistant coach at Vassar College after
serving one year as an assistant at SUNY Plattsburgh.
She began her coaching career at her alma mater in 2008.
At Vassar, she coached a total of four players that earned first
team All-Liberty League honors and was part of a coaching staff
that earned LL Coaching Staff of the Year accolades in 2011.
VC also advanced to the NCAA Tournament that season.
"I am very excited for this opportunity," Kraft said. "I just want
to thank Doug and Dr. Fitzsimmons for taking a chance on me."
"I have long had a professional goal of becoming a Division III
head coach and I am ecstatic to become the next head coach of this
program."
"We have a great group of incoming student-athletes to add to our
returning class, and I can't wait to get started working with them
to continue our goal of winning anODAC championship."
As a student-athlete, Kraft played both basketball and softball for
the Rangers, earning MAC All-Freedom honors on multiple occasions.
In 2009, Drew honored her as a member of its Athletic Hall of Fame
Team of Distinction for an ECAC basketball championship captured in
2004.
--- This release is
courtesy of the Shenandoah University sports information
department. ---
www.suhornets.com