|
Years: 12
Record: 197-108 (.646)
|
All-Region Selections
D3hoops.com All-Region: 2
MBWA All-Met: 5 |
All-Conference Selections
MAC Freedom: 12
Skyline: 10 |
The winningest coach in program history,
Kate Vlahakis completed her twelfth season as the head coach of the Manhattanville women's basketball team in 2024-25.
Vlahakis led the Valiants to a sixth-consecutive postseason appearance in the 2024-25 season as Manhattanville went 18-7 on the year. The team went 15-5 in conference play to earn the No. 3 seed for the Skyline Conference Championship, as the Valiants have never finished lower than fourth place in the standings since returning to the Skyline. Vlahakis developed two more Skyline All-Conference selections as Esther Ramos and Julie DeBrocky made the First and Second Team, respectively. Ramos would also garner regional recognition, named a 2024-25 Met Basketball Writers Association All-Met Honorable Mention. The Valiants boasted a lockdown defense as has been the MO under Vlahakis' tutelage, being named the NCAA Division III Statistical Champion for scoring defense with just 46.2 points allowed per game, the lowest mark across all three NCAA divisions.
Continuing to elevate the women's basketball program each year, Vlahakis tied the program record for single-season wins with 23 in the 2023-24 campaign, the most wins the Valiants had collected since the 1981-82 season. The Valiants made a second-consecutive postseason run to the Skyline Conference Championship finals after dominating the conference in the regular season, going 19-1 against the Skyline to earn the first No. 1 seed for the team since 2011. Julianna Kascic capped off her collegiate career by going back-to-back as an All-Met Division III selection under Vlahakis, while also repping the Valiants on the All-Conference First Team.
Vlahkais led the Valiants to their most successful Skyline Conference season in the 2022-23 campaign as the team made their first appearance in the Conference Championship Finals. The Valiants finished the year 21-4, the team';s second 20-win season under Vlahakis and just the fifth in program history. On December 1, 2023, Vlahakis set a new program record for wins by a head coach with her 141st career victory as the Valiants defeated Yeshiva 76-48. She would go on to earn her 150th career win on January 28, 2023 against Farmingdale State. Under Vlahakis, freshman Amanda Orlando earned Skyline Conference Rookie of the Year honors, the first player in program history to earn a conference Rookie of the Year distinction. Two more players--Jamison Agostino and Kascic--would both earn their first All-Conference selections of their careers, with Agostino breaking the single-season three point record with 79, while Kascic would also go on to be named a D3hoops.com All-Region selection.
Vlahakis guided the Valiants to a second-consecutive run to the Skyline Conference semifinals in the 2021-22 campaign, as the Valiants finished with a 19-8 overall record and went 14-6 in conference play. The Valiants got off to a red-hot start, beginning the year 8-0 before finally facing a setback in December. Manhattanville would go on to claim the No. 3 seed in the Conference Championship Tournament, defeating No. 5 St. Joseph's-Long Island in a opening round matchup inside Kennedy Gymnasium. Under Vlahakis' leadership, Manhattanville had two student-athletes--Spencer Shore and Faith Johnson-Desilvia--named to the Skyline All-Conference Second Team at the end of the season. Shore would set the program's single-season three pointer record, sinking 66 deep balls on the year. Nationally, the Valiants ranked in the top 20 in scoring margin and offensive and defensive rebounds per game, while ranking second in all of Division III in three point field goal defense, holding opposing shooters to a .219 mark from beyond the arc.
In 2019-20, the program's first in the Skyline Conference since 2006-07, Vlahakis guided Manhattanville to 22 victories, just the fourth 20-win season in program history. and the most wins since 1981-82 (23), which remains the sole year in which the Valiants earned a NCAA berth. A mid-season 12-game win streak also tied the program record. Vlahakis led her squad to a 17-3 mark in Skyline play en route to the second overall seed and first-round bye in the conference tournament. Two players earned all-conference honors, while one -- Sarah Coutu ('21) -- picked up the third all-met accolades in program history. Coutu also became the 17th member of the program's 1,000-point scorers club; the fifth to do so in under four seasons. Her squad ranked in the top 10 in all of DIvision III in four categories: shooting percentage defense (1st), scoring margin (2nd), three-point percentage defense (5th) and scoring defense (8th).
Vlahakis' 2018-19 started the season with 10 straight victories, winning those games by an average of 30.6 points. For the first time in program history, the team received Top 25 votes in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll. Qualifying for the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom Tournament for the first time in three seasons, Vlahakis guided a unit that finished in the Top 35 in D-III in steals per game, three-point percentage defense, turnover margin and turnovers forced.
Vlahakis led the Valiants to an 18-7 record in 2017-18, the highest single-season winning percentage at the school since 1981-82. The Valiants put together the best 12-game start in school history by winning 11 of their first 12 contests, including a 10-game winning streak, the longest by the program since 1984-85.
Vlahakis had an excellent 2015-16 campaign, compiling an 18-8 overall record and coming a buzzer-beater away from reaching the MAC Freedom championship game. The Valiants began the year with the best 20-game start in nearly three decades, beginning the year 14-6, and saw the team's three seniors, Ashley Franklin, Bri Pabon, and Ashley Raaf, all named to the All-MAC Freedom teams. The team also was regionally ranked as high as third by the NCAA during the season, marking the highest such ranking in recent program history.
Vlahakis guided another young roster to an 11-14 record in 2014-15, despite playing most of the year with only one senior on the squad. That senior, Alyson Caiazzo was recognized as a D3hoops.com All-Atlantic Region second-team and MBWA All-Met third-team honoree in addition to her third straight All-Freedom Conference selection. Caiazzo graduated as the school's all-time leader in rebounds, blocks and field-goal percentage.
Despite not taking over as head coach until the second week of the school year, Vlahakis guided the Valiants to a 10-14 record in her first season in 2012-13, helping senior Taylor Wilson and Caiazzo earn All-Freedom Conference second-team honors, while Caiazzo also was named to the MBWA All-Met first team as well.
Vlahakis came to Manhattanville after a two-year stint at Framingham State University, serving as an assistant coach under Patricia O'Brien and helpinged the program to a MASCAC Tournament appearance in her second season. Prior to her time in Framingham, Vlahakis served three seasons as an assistant coach at Simmons College, helping the team to a combined 44-29 record in three years and earning three straight GNAC Tournament appearances.
Vlahakis played for nationally ranked St. Lawrence University, where she earned all-tournament recognition and was named the most improved player in 2003. While at St. Lawrence, Vlahakis was a member of the Saints team that posted a perfect record in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (now the Liberty League), earned a conference championship, and appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Lebanon, N.H., Vlahakis graduated from St. Lawrence in 2007 and also earned her master's degree in business with a specialization in Athletic Administration from Southern New Hampshire University in 2012.
|
Overall |
Conf. |
|
| Year |
W |
L |
W |
L |
Postseason |
| 2012-13 |
10 |
14 |
3 |
11 |
|
| 2013-14 |
10 |
15 |
5 |
9 |
|
| 2014-15 |
11 |
14 |
2 |
12 |
|
| 2015-16 |
18 |
8 |
9 |
5 |
MACF (Semis) |
| 2016-17 |
10 |
15 |
5 |
9 |
|
| 2017-18 |
18 |
7 |
8 |
6 |
|
| 2018-19 |
17 |
8 |
8 |
6 |
MACF (Semis) |
| 2019-20 |
22 |
4 |
17 |
3 |
Skyline (Semis) |
| 2021-22 |
19 |
8 |
14 |
6 |
Skyline (Semis) |
| 2022-23 |
21 |
4 |
16 |
2 |
Skyline (Finals) |
| 2023-24 |
23 |
4 |
19 |
1 |
Skyline (Finals) |
| 2024-25 |
18 |
7 |
15 |
5 |
Skyline (First Rd.) |
| Career |
197 |
108 |
121 |
75 |
|
