Notables

Bard and Rochester Tech will join the Liberty League as full members, beginning in the 2011-12 season. The announcement was made official today by Jim McLaughlin, Liberty League president.

“We’re delighted to welcome Bard and RIT into the Liberty League,” said McLaughlin. “Both of these outstanding institutions share the ideals of the Liberty League in terms of student-first philosophy and approaching intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the overall educational experience. We look forward to the contributions that Bard and RIT will make to the league, both academically and athletically.”

Bard is currently a member of the Skyline Conference, while RIT is in the Empire 8. Bard’s five-year record in men’s basketball is 25-101, 29-87 in women’s basketball and it will be the Raptors’ third conference affiliation in five seasons, after the school left the NEAC. Both Bard head coaching positions are currently open. RIT is 75-57 over the same period in men’s basketball, 43-73 in women’s basketball.

“Bard is very pleased to accept membership into the Liberty League, a long and well respected conference with a clear focus on the balance of the student-athlete experience,” said athletic director Kristen Hall. “Our academic profile blends nicely with that of the league’s membership and we look forward to the future experiences that our student-athletes will have with our peer institutions.”

“We are very pleased and honored to have gained acceptance in to the Liberty League,” said RIT athletic director Lou Spiotti. “The Liberty League is a premier NCAA Division III conference composed of colleges and universities with values and aspirations similar to those of RIT. This is a historic move for RIT and for our intercollegiate athletics programs and we look forward with great anticipation to our new association."

Rochester Tech sponsors Division I men’s ice hockey, as do several other Liberty League schools, and will maintain its Atlantic Hockey affiliation.

Kate Pearson has been named head women’s basketball coach at Cabrini. Pearson will take over leadership of the women’s basketball program July 1 following five seasons as an assistant coach with the Cavaliers.

“Kate’s experience as a phenomenal Division III player and as our assistant coach for the past several years makes this a perfect opportunity to promote a good person from within,” said athletic director Joe Giunta. “She excelled ... at the University of Scranton (as Kate Pierangeli) and has been a major part of our success as an assistant coach at Cabrini. The Cabrini women’s basketball program is in great hands with Kate.”

Pearson inherits a Cavaliers team that has captured two consecutive conference titles and has advanced to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments. In 2008-09, Cabrini finished with 23 overall victories, the program’s highest win total since the 1994-95 season.

“I am ecstatic to become the head women’s basketball coach at Cabrini College,” Pearson said. “This program has experienced a great deal of growth and success the last few seasons and I look forward to continuing that tradition.”

Pearson joined the Cabrini sidelines in 2004-05 as an assistant to head coach Bobbi Morgan. In four seasons alongside Morgan, the Cavaliers posted a 66-41 overall record, captured one CSAC championship, advanced to one NCAA Tournament and appeared in two conference title games.

Last season, Pearson helped guide Cabrini to its second consecutive CSAC crown and trip to the NCAA Tournament under head coach Bernadette Laukaitis. The Cavaliers claimed the conference regular season title for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign.

Pearson played four seasons at perennial Division III power Scranton under legendary head coach Mike Strong. With Pearson in the backcourt, the Lady Royals owned a 95-18 record, captured two Middle Atlantic Conference titles and appeared in three NCAA Tournaments.

Pearson was a three-time D3hoops.com All-Region selection and earned MAC First Team honors three times. She lists first all-time in program history in career three-point field goals made (181) and attempted (551). Pearson also ranks fourth all-time in assists (427), fourth in steals (263) and sixth in free-throw percentage (.742). She lists 11th all-time, scoring 1,292 career points.

Pearson was also a three-year letterwinner with the women’s lacrosse team at Scranton, winning two MAC crowns and appearing in two NCAA Tournaments. She was a three-time MAC First Team honoree. Pearson was named the Tom O’Hara Award recipient in 2004 as the school’s top female athlete.

Pearson’s ties to Cabrini extend well before her first season as an assistant coach with the women’s basketball team in 2004-05. Her mother, Dianne, coached the Cavalier women’s soccer team for nine seasons from 1993-2001.

Pearson graduated from Scranton in 2004 with a bachelor of arts degree in communication. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in secondary education English at Cabrini. Kate and her husband, Mike, were married in May 2009 and reside in West Chester, Pa.