Arpé Returns as Women’s Tennis Head Coach

Hall of Fame mentor ready to come out of retirement to lead Skyhawks

EASTON, Mass. (August 15, 2019) – Stonehill College has announced that Pam Arpé, a member of the Stonehill Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2017, will return as head coach of the women's tennis program. The announcement was made today by Dean O'Keefe, '94, Director of Athletics at the College.

"We are pleased to welcome Pam Arpé back to the Stonehill family as our head women's tennis coach," said O'Keefe. "Coach Arpé was instrumental in building a culture of excellence for two of Stonehill's most accomplished programs, and her strong ability to teach, mentor and inspire will serve our student-athletes well. We are excited for Coach Arpe's return to Easton, and are confident she will continue to excel in leading our women's tennis program forward."

Arpé returns to a Stonehill women's tennis program where she previously served as head coach for ten successful seasons from 2005 until her retirement as full-time coach and assistant athletic director following the 2013-14 season. The Skyhawks qualified for postseason play each year, posting the first two 20-win seasons in program history, including a program-best 21-4 clip in 2008-09 when the Skyhawks reached the NCAA Division II Championships Round of 16. She led the program to a 157-49 (.762) overall dual match record over her ten years, including a 107-13 (.892) clip in Northeast-10 Conference play, with seven NCAA Tournament appearances, three NE10 regular season championships and two Conference tournament titles.

"I am thrilled to return to the Stonehill women's tennis program as its head coach," said Arpé. "I am looking forward to working again with a program that has not only enjoyed success on the court, but excels in the classroom as well. The team has a talented group of returning student-athletes and promising newcomers that are ready to continue the program's strong tradition."

Arpé, a two-time NE10 Coach of the Year in women's tennis, previously produced 37 All-NE10 singles performers and 17 All-NE10 doubles pairings over her tennis coaching career at Stonehill, and had its first regionally-ranked singles student-athlete and doubles pairing under her leadership. The teams performed in the classroom, producing six NE10 Academic All-Conference selections with 2012 NE10 Sport Excellence recipient Paige Frost, '13 also recognized with the 2013 ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr., Division II Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship, the first ever from Stonehill to receive the prestigious honor.

In addition to her women's tennis coaching duties at Stonehill during her initial 15 years of service to the College, Arpé was an assistant athletic director for 11 years. She also led the Stonehill field hockey program for eight seasons, posting a 112-54 (.675) win-loss record from 2000 through 2007, with a pair of NE10 championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances, reaching the National Semifinal round in 2005. Arpé has served on the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Regional Advisory Committees, including a stint as East Region Chair for both, and was on the NCAA Division II National Tennis Committee, serving as its National Chair for two years.

Arpé has remained active in collegiate athletics since her initial retirement, serving as a consultant with the NCAA and is currently Chair of the Division II Tennis Coaches Connection, serving as liaison between all Division II Men's and Women's Tennis Coaches and the NCAA. She is also a tennis professional for the Southport Community in Mashpee, Massachusetts, specializing in doubles clinics.

Stonehill opens its 2019 fall schedule on Thursday, September 5, when it hosts the University of New Haven for an NE10 dual match on Charles Watt Tennis Courts at 3:30 p.m. The Skyhawks enter the season winners of three-straight NE10 regular season championships, having also claimed the NE10 tournament title as well last fall on its way to a 13th NCAA Division II Tournament bid. The Skyhawks enter the fall winners of 24-straight NE10 regular season matches.

With 21 intercollegiate sports, Stonehill boasts one of the top athletic and academic programs in the country. In addition to finishing in the top three of the Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cup standings for overall athletic performance 14 straight years, the Skyhawks have received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first eight years of the program's existence of honoring institutions with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. Stonehill has earned a 96% Academic Success Ranking (ASR) by the NCAA, which considers the academic success rate of the institution based on the graduation rate of student-athletes, good for seventh among all NCAA Division II institutions, with eight Skyhawk teams receiving a perfect rating of 100%. In addition, the Skyhawks are ranked 11th in the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings for Division II used to assess the academic and athletic standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.