Siena Saints Announce Women's Basketball Coaching Change

3/8/2012 9:06:00 PM

Siena Sports Information

Loudonville, N.Y. - For the first time since 1990, the Siena women's basketball team will be under new leadership. Siena and head coach Gina Castelli have reached the mutual decision to move in a new direction with the program. A national search for her replacement will begin immediately.

"Gina has given many years of dedicated and committed service to Siena and its basketball team," director of athletics John D'Argenio said. "There have been some very successful years filled with student athletes who graduate and serve the community. She has been a head coach much longer than the average coaching tenure, so we respect that she is ready for a different challenge and wish her the best of luck. I hope when she reflects on her Siena career her recollections will be positive."

Castelli amassed a 336-296 (.532) overall record in her 22 seasons with the program, including a 225-146 (.606) mark in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. A five-time MAAC Coach of the Year (1991, 94, 98, 2001 and 02), she guided the Saints to seven MAAC Regular Season Titles (1994, 98, 99, 2001, 02, 03, 04), and the 2001 MAAC Championship.

Siena advanced to play Colorado in its initial NCAA trip in 2001, one of four postseason appearances over a five-year period. The 2001 Siena team was one of just two (Stanford) in the 64-team NCAA Tournament field to graduate 100 percent of incoming players over a seven-year period. The Saints also participated in the 1999, 2002 and 2003 WNIT under Castelli's direction.

From 2000-2003 Castelli's Saints posted an overall record of 72-21 (.774) and orchestrated three consecutive 20-win seasons and national postseason appearances. Siena hosted WNIT games in 1999 and 2003, defeating Big East foes Georgetown and Seton Hall in the First Round.

Off the court, Castelli's student athletes enjoyed benchmark success in the classroom. The Siena women's basketball team posted a perfect 100% cohort GSR in the most recent NCAA Report this past October, and the program was publicly recognized in 2006-07 and 2007-08 by the NCAA for posting multi-year Academic Progress Rates (APR) in the top-10 percent of all Division I women's basketball programs.

The Saints completed the 2011-12 season this past weekend with a 12-17 overall record, their eighth straight losing season. The program returns 12 of 14 letterwinners and three of five starters.