Former Skyhawks assistant takes program reigns after two years at New Hampshire
EASTON, Mass. (June 2, 2015) – Stonehill College has named Kathleen Colpoys as head coach of its volleyball program. The announcement was made today by Cindy MacDonald, Interim Director of Athletics, and confirmed by Pauline Dobrowski, Vice President for Student Affairs at the College.
"It is a pleasure to welcome Kathleen Colpoys back to Stonehill as our next volleyball head coach," said MacDonald. "Since serving as an assistant coach here three years ago, Kathleen became an integral part of a coaching staff at the University of New Hampshire which had success at both the academic and athletic level; both of these accolades will undoubtedly make her a great fit to now lead our program here at Stonehill. Kathleen's energy and passion for the sport will be a driving force to the continued success of our Skyhawks on and off the court."
Colpoys returns to Stonehill, where she was an assistant coach during the 2012 season for Lauren Amundson who recently became the head coach at NCAA Division I Marist College in New York. Colpoys completed two years as graduate assistant coach at the University of New Hampshire under the long-time successful head coach Jill Hirschinger, helping lead the Wildcats to back-to-back America East Conference Championships in 2013 and 2014, with two NCAA Division I Tournament appearances. The Wildcats posted a record of 40-25 (.615), including an 23-3 (.885) mark in America East play, over her two seasons as an assistant in which the staff earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors from the Conference both years.
Colpoys was responsible for coaching New Hampshire's blockers, assisted with practice planning, implementation and individual skill training, while also aiding in all phases of recruiting. She planned and managed all team travel, monitored first year student-athletes academic progress and transition to college and was also coordinator for UNH's volleyball camps, while earning her Masters of Science in kinesiology with a concentration in sport studies at the University. Colpoys was also selected to participate at the NCAA's Emerging Leaders Seminar this past January.
"I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to return to Stonehill as head coach of the volleyball program," said Colpoys. "This athletic department does an excellent job of focusing on high athletic achievement while maintaining an emphasis on overall student-athlete development, including academic success. Coach Amundson succeeded in building this program up to where it is today as a contender within the Northeast-10 and East Region, and I look forward to continuing to improve upon this strong foundation."
Colpoys served as assistant coach for Amundson during the 2012 season during which Stonehill reached the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament for the third straight year before dropping a five set thriller to top-seeded University of New Haven. Colpoys gained valuable experience at the College with practice planning and individual skill training, scouting opponents, developing game plans, assisting with game instruction and decisions, as well as recruiting. She overhauled the team's blocking scheme, coaching two of the top ten blockers in the NE-10, Mary-Cate Catton '15 (1.02 blocks/set) and Kirsten Arvidson '14 (0.80). Colpoys was also co-director of the volleyball program's popular Ace's Girls Youth Development Program, which recently completed its fourth year, and was assistant director for Stonehill's Volleyball Sports Camps.
Colpoys was a volunteer assistant coach at her alma mater, College of the Holy Cross, following her four year playing career for the Crusaders. She served as head coach of the Mass Patriots volleyball club's U-17 team one year in 2013 and has worked several camps and clinics throughout the northeast.
Colpoys, who received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Holy Cross in economics, was a four-year starter for the Crusaders and is the first student-athlete in program history to record over 700 kills and 200 blocks, collecting a pair of All-Tournament team accolades over the course of her career.
The Stonehill volleyball program is coming off arguably its best season in program history in 2014 when it posted a 21-8 record overall, including 11-3 in the Northeast-10 to claim a share of its first regular season conference championship. The Skyhawks earned the program's second NCAA Tournament bid in program history after reaching the semifinal round of the NE-10 Tournament. Recent graduate Emily Iverson '15 and rising senior Delia Phillips (Saint James, New York/Smithtown East) became the program's first two honorable mention All-America selections from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and Iverson also earned NE-10 Player and Setter of the Year honors to headline four All-Conference selections for the Skyhawks.
With 20 intercollegiate sports, Stonehill boasts one of the top athletic and academic programs in the country. In addition to winning its fifth Northeast-10 Presidents' Cup following the 2014-15 academic year, the Skyhawks have received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first three 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 eighth among all NCAA Division II institutions, with 12 Skyhawk teams receiving a perfect rating of 100%. In addition, the Skyhawks are ranked third 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. Stonehill has also been selected as the host of the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships at W.B. Mason Stadium.
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