Keystone athletics photo

Keystone named Caitlin Hadzimichalis as its new head women’s basketball coach effective May 1, 2016 after she spent the previous seven years as the top assistant coach at nearby King’s in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.  Hadzimichalis previously enjoyed a decorated playing career as a three-sport student-athlete standout and leader at Marywood.

Hadzimichalis takes over for Keystone's athletic director, Matthew Grimaldi who stepped in as head coach midway through the 2014-15 season. The Giants have changed coaches five times since Caitlin Ryan left the program after the 2007-2008 season. Each of the previous four coaches has lasted two seasons or less.

Hadzimichalis comes to Keystone after having served as King’s coach Brian Donoghue’s top assistant coach since 2009 and leading the Monarchs to three MAC Freedom Conference playoff appearances, two conference championship game appearances, and a run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round in 2012. Donoghue’s staff earned Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honors. During the past seven years, King’s has posted a 104-79 overall record including a 58-40 mark in Freedom Conference play.

Hadzimichalis was responsible for recruiting qualified student-athletes, player instruction and development, editing and analyzing film, creating scouting reports, coordinating travel, developing conditioning workouts, and overseeing academic performance of student-athletes. Hadzimichalis was instrumental in helping the Monarchs average a 3.39 overall team grade point average and the squad was a WBCA Academic Top 25 team in four of the last five seasons.
 
Hadzimichalis also has been the head varsity field hockey coach at Pittston Area High School since 2010, compiling a 51-35-5 overall record in the last six seasons after taking over a program that had not won a single game since 2007. Hadzimichalis led the Patriots to their first-ever division title in 2013 while guiding the program to its first-ever playoff appearance. 
 
Before joining the coaching ranks, Hadzimichalis enjoyed a decorated four-year playing career as a three-sport student-athlete at Marywood. A three-time team captain, Hadzimichalis was a two-time Team MVP of the Pacers and was also named to the CSAC All-Sportsmanship Team. In the fall, she excelled as a field hockey standout, collecting First Team All-CSAC accolades twice and also being named to the CSAC All-Sportsmanship Team. Hadzimichalis was a three-year team captain and two-time recipient of the Dr. Farr Award for Excellence in Field Hockey and was also a two-time Second Team All-Conference selection in softball, captaining the Pacers on the diamond for two seasons.
 
A standout in the classroom as well, Hadzimichalis was honored as the Colonial States Athletic Conference’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was also named Marywood’s Co-Senior Student-Athlete of the Year in 2009. A Dean’s List and CSAC All-Academic Team honoree throughout her four years at Marywood, Hadzimichalis was selected to represent the Pacers at the NCAA National Leadership Convention in 2007 and was a two-year president of Marywood’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and was also president of both the Phi Epsilon Kappa Physical Education National Honor Society and the Health and Physical Education Club.  
 
Hadzimichalis is a member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and has assisted at national events including the WBCA Convention Division III Roundtables and the Hoop Mountain Mid-Atlantic Clinic Speaker program.
 
Hadzimichalis earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education while minoring in Coaching and Nutrition from Marywood in 2009.

Keystone finished the 2015-16 season with a 7-17 record, 4-12 in the CSAC.