Notables

Wellesley athletic director Bridget Belgiovine announced the hiring of Jennifer Kroll as head basketball coach.

"The Wellesley basketball program will be led by a highly successful coach, teacher and mentor for our student-athletes," Belgiovine said. "We look forward to the next era for Wellesley basketball."

Kroll replaces Kathy Hagerstrom, who retired after this past season. She compiled a 229-192 record in 18 seasons as head coach of the Blue.

Now entering her 11th year as a head coach, Kroll boasts an overall record of 167-95 (.637) at three Division III institutions: Ithaca, the University of Chicago and St. Lawrence. The 2007 Liberty League coach of the year, as well as the 2000 Empire 8 coach of the year, Kroll served on the NCAA East Regional Advisory Committee from 2007 to 2009.

“I am thrilled to accept the position at Wellesley College. The level of engagement of the student-athlete in every aspect of their experience is what impressed me most,” said Kroll. “I am excited about building relationships within the Wellesley community and expanding on the department’s rich tradition of success.”

Kroll comes to Wellesley after a successful five-year stint at St. Lawrence where she guided the Saints to an impressive 101-35 (.742) overall mark with a 56-14 (.800) Liberty League record. Most recently, Kroll led the Saints to a 10-4 Liberty League mark in the 2008-09 season, while wrapping up the third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and the second straight conference championship for the program.

Prior to coaching at St. Lawrence, Kroll spent four seasons at Chicago where, in 2000-01, she guided the Maroons to a 15-9 record, marking the program’s first winning season in six years. Overall, she compiled a 45-53 record. She started her head-coaching career at Ithaca for the Bombers' 1999-2000 campaign. In just one season, Kroll guided Ithaca to a 21-7 mark, a share of the Empire 8 title and the ECAC Upstate New York championship.

Before Ithaca, Kroll served as an assistant coach at Cornell (N.Y.) from 1995-99 and as a graduate assistant at Kentucky from 1992-94.

A 1991 graduate of Northwestern, Kroll played in two NCAA Division I tournaments and was part of the 1990 Big Ten championship team. She earned her bachelor's degree at Northwestern in 1991 and her master's degree in sports management at Kentucky in 1995.