March 26, 2014
WBCA Tabs Cole as Region 2 Coach of the Year, DIII National Coach of the Year Finalist
LILBURN, Ga. – The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) has named Plattsburgh State women's basketball head coach Cheryl Cole the 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division III Region 2 Coach of the Year.
Not only did Cole secure one of the eight regional coach of the year titles, she is a finalist for the inaugural Pat Summitt Trophy to be presented to the 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year.
Cole, who just wrapped up her 18th – and most successful – season as the Cardinals' bench boss, is one of 10 NCAA Division III women's basketball coaches from all around the country who are up for the prestigious honor.
During her most recent campaign, Cole guided Plattsburgh State to its best season in program history. The Cardinals racked up a 23-6 record and captured State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) regular season and championship tournament titles en route to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament.
The Cardinals won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, too, as they defeated Roger Williams 67-56 in an opening-round bout.
Cole oversaw a Plattsburgh State scoring offense that led the 10-team SUNYAC in point per game (71.3). Additionally, the Cardinals were tops in the league in terms of blocked shots per game (4.28) and opponent three-point field goal percentage (27.7 percent).
In addition to the success of her team as a whole, Cole also spent four seasons mentoring two-time Honorable Mention All-American recipient Kathleen Payne from. Under the watch of Cole, Payne racked up an impressive amount of individual hardware, including SUNYAC Rookie of the Year during her 2010-11 season, SUNYAC Player of the Year after a highly successful 2013-14 campaign, three selections to the All-SUNYAC First Team, a pair of selections to the All-SUNYAC Championship Tournament team and two D3Hoops.com All-East Region First Team nods.
Payne set no fewer than five career and single-season school record during her sensational 2013-14 season. The native of Goshen, N.Y., closed out her collegiate days as the program's all-time leading scorer (1,722 points) and rebounder (759) and netted 569 points in her final season alone to break her own single-season scoring record by 93 points.
The 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year will be named during the fourth annual WBCA Awards Show on Monday, April 7, in the Omni Nashville Hotel's Broadway Ballroom. The Awards Show is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four.
Complete WBCA Release
Not only did Cole secure one of the eight regional coach of the year titles, she is a finalist for the inaugural Pat Summitt Trophy to be presented to the 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year.
Cole, who just wrapped up her 18th – and most successful – season as the Cardinals' bench boss, is one of 10 NCAA Division III women's basketball coaches from all around the country who are up for the prestigious honor.
During her most recent campaign, Cole guided Plattsburgh State to its best season in program history. The Cardinals racked up a 23-6 record and captured State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) regular season and championship tournament titles en route to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament.
The Cardinals won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game, too, as they defeated Roger Williams 67-56 in an opening-round bout.
Cole oversaw a Plattsburgh State scoring offense that led the 10-team SUNYAC in point per game (71.3). Additionally, the Cardinals were tops in the league in terms of blocked shots per game (4.28) and opponent three-point field goal percentage (27.7 percent).
In addition to the success of her team as a whole, Cole also spent four seasons mentoring two-time Honorable Mention All-American recipient Kathleen Payne from. Under the watch of Cole, Payne racked up an impressive amount of individual hardware, including SUNYAC Rookie of the Year during her 2010-11 season, SUNYAC Player of the Year after a highly successful 2013-14 campaign, three selections to the All-SUNYAC First Team, a pair of selections to the All-SUNYAC Championship Tournament team and two D3Hoops.com All-East Region First Team nods.
Payne set no fewer than five career and single-season school record during her sensational 2013-14 season. The native of Goshen, N.Y., closed out her collegiate days as the program's all-time leading scorer (1,722 points) and rebounder (759) and netted 569 points in her final season alone to break her own single-season scoring record by 93 points.
The 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year will be named during the fourth annual WBCA Awards Show on Monday, April 7, in the Omni Nashville Hotel's Broadway Ballroom. The Awards Show is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four.
Complete WBCA Release
