UMass Lowell assistant and former Mount Ida College head coach becomes 13th head coach in program history
PHOTO COURTESY OF: UMass Lowell Athletics |
EASTON, Mass. (June 14, 2019) – Stonehill College has announced the hiring of Craig Martin as its next head coach of the volleyball program. The announcement was made today by Dean O'Keefe, '94, Director of Athletics at the College.
"We are excited to welcome Craig Martin to the Stonehill athletic family as our new head volleyball coach," said O'Keefe. "Coach Martin possesses tremendous coaching experience as both a head coach and assistant at the collegiate level, and his sincere commitment to developing student-athletes both on and off the court will undoubtedly benefit our program. He is a true teacher of all facets of the game, and we are eager to have Coach Martin arrive in Easton to begin mentoring our student-athletes as the program prepares to reach new heights."
Martin, a 2007 graduate of Southern New Hampshire University, where he was a member of the men's volleyball club, will bring a range of knowledge as he has worked with NCAA Division I and III programs around New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He takes over as the 13th head coach in the Stonehill volleyball program's 40-year history, after Kathleen Colpoys recently took over as head coach at her alma mater, College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts after four years in Easton.
"First I would like to thank the Director of Athletics, Dean O'Keefe, Associate Director of Athletics, Steve Fitzgerald, Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Cindy MacDonald, and the rest of the search committee for believing that I am the right person to continue to lead this program into the future," stated Martin. "I'm very excited to have the opportunity to head the women's volleyball team and work with the incredible staff of Stonehill College. Hearing the dedication that the players are expecting to put forth as well as the support that we will be getting from administration, athletic training, and the entire Stonehill community is more than I could have asked for.
"Stonehill has a fantastic academic and athletic reputation and with the health of the program left by Coach Colpoys, I am very eager to begin the ongoing challenge of developing these student-athletes into tremendous young women and volleyball players."
Martin comes to Stonehill after spending the 2018 season as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Martin assisted head coach Resa Provanzano with training middle hitters and all blockers, as well as scouting and match preparation, practice planning and implementation, community and alumni engagement and student-athlete welfare.
Prior to working with the River Hawks, Martin spent seven years as the head coach of the men's and women's volleyball programs at Mount Ida College in Newton, Massachusetts, also serving as the intramural director. He led the women's program to 78 wins and three Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament appearances in his time.
PHOTO BY: Bob Ellis |
During his time as an undergraduate at Southern New Hampshire University, Martin assisted the men's and women's volleyball programs at Rivier University from 2005 to 2011. At Rivier, Martin assisted the team to six GNAC championships - four with the men and two with the women.
Stonehill wrapped up its 2018 season with an 11-11 overall record, including a 7-7 Northeast-10 Conference mark. Senior Allyson Hughes was named to the NE10 All-Conference third team, while freshmen Abby Remick and Lauren Wilke earned All-Rookie team honors.
With 21 intercollegiate sports, Stonehill boasts one of the top athletic and academic programs in the country. Stonehill has won the Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cup five times, all coming within the last 14 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.
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TRANSACTIONS:
Stonehill College: Named Craig Martin volleyball head coach.