Houghton athletic director Matthew Webb has announced that Phil Pellegrino will take the reins of the Highlander women's basketball program.
Pellegrino steps into the position following the resignation of Alicia Mucher, who stepped away after eight seasons at the helm. He is the 12th coach in the 51-year history of the program.
Pellegrino, a 2017 Houghton graduate, returns to the Highlanders after three seasons as a men's assistant at Elmira College. He had most recently served as interim head coach for the Elmira women's program.
"I am excited to add Phil to our department. He has established himself as an effective recruiter to both the NCAA Division III and to the Empire 8," said Webb. "With his strong ties to Houghton, he will bring a special affinity and passion for recruiting to Houghton and pouring into his athletes. I know he is anxious to build on the strong spiritual and disciplined culture of the women's basketball program."
At Elmira, Pellegrino was responsible for practice planning and player development, and led recruiting efforts for the Soaring Eagles. In his first season at EC in 2017-18, he assisted with the installation of a new offensive system that saw the team increase its scoring production by an average of 20 points per game. That year, Elmira logged 82.1 points per game, the fourth-highest average in team history, and they came close to that mark again in 2018-19 with 78.3 points per game.
"I would like to thank the search committee and administration for the opportunity to lead the women's basketball program. Being a head coach has forever been a dream of mine and I am so honored to be able to do that at my alma mater and to be back in the Houghton community, which has meant so much to me," said Pellegrino. "My experience at Houghton College provided me lifelong mentors and friendships. Houghton is a place that creates a very intentional culture and puts an emphasis on building meaningful relationships. I am excited to share the knowledge, enthusiasm, and effort that I have been able to experience with the Houghton College women's basketball program."
A former Empire 8 all-conference student-athlete, Pellegrino spent his freshman season at Alfred before finishing the last three years of his collegiate career at Houghton. He paced the Highlanders in scoring as a junior and eclipsed the 1,000-career-point mark during his senior campaign.
The Rochester, New York, native was also a proficient 3-point shooter, as he finished his career with 162 3-point field goals. With Pellegrino on the court, Houghton experienced its most winningest seasons in over two decades, reaching double-digit wins for the first time since the 1995-96 season.
Pellegrino graduated from Houghton in 2017 with a degree in biology and will graduate with a master's in health services management from Elmira this summer.