Head Coach Kate Whalen enters her twelfth season at the helm of the Adelphi University softball program. During her tenure, Whalen has built Adelphi into a strong contender in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) and in the Northeast region. She has amassed a career record 304 wins, 220 losses and one tie, since taking over the Panther program in its first stages of Division II.
Arriving at Adelphi in 1993, Whalen helped the softball program make the transition from Division I to Division II, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Adelphi softball program in the process.
On April 20, 2005, she collected her 300th win with a 6-2 victory over NYCAC opponent St. Thomas Aquinas College. The Panthers finished the 2005 season with a record of 25-16 overall, marking the seventh consecutive season and ninth time in the last 11 years that Whalen has guided the team to 25 or more wins. Whalen also produced her first All-American in junior Amy Delmore who was a second-team selection as well as NYCAC Player of the Year.
Throughout her eleven year Adelphi career she has amassed five 30+ seasons, coached 11 All-Northeast region selections and made two trips to the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2003, advancing to the semifinals of the Northeast Regional championships. That year the Panthers finished the season 35-17 overall, setting a new Division II school record for wins.
In addition to the programs success on the field, Whalen's Panthers have garnered academic accolades as well. Since 1999, 34 players have been named National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Scholar-Athletes. In 2004, Adelphi was ranked fourth in the nation, its highest-ever ranking, with a 3.60 cumulative team grade point average.
In 2000, the Panthers were selected to participate in the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship Tournament for the first time under Whalen. She guided the Panthers to a 27-20 overall mark and a 15-5 record in the NYCAC for a first place regular season finish.
The 1997 campaign was a tremendous success for the Panthers. The team set what was then the school-record for victories since joining D-II (30-18). After earning the No. 2 seed in the NYCAC tournament, Whalen guided the Panthers to the league title with an upset of the nation's No. 8-ranked team, C.W. Post. Following the NYCAC Championship, Adelphi was selected to host the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Division Championship Tournament. In that tournament, Adelphi again emerged victorious, winning three games on the final day to capture the title.
In 1996, with a 26-21 overall record, 15-7 in the conference, Whalen was named the NYCAC Coach of the Year. The team finished fourth in the NYCAC in both the regular season and the conference tournament.
Prior to arriving at Adelphi, she served as an assistant softball and volleyball coach at Fairfield University in 1991, helping the Lady Stags softball team to the MAAC Tournament championship. Before her stint at Fairfield, Whalen served as an assistant volleyball coach at Quinnipiac College.
A 1987 graduate of the University of New Haven where she received a bachelor's degree in Mathematics, Whalen lettered in women's softball, volleyball and tennis teams. She earned All-New England honors in softball in 1986 and 1987 and was named to the ECAC All-Tournament team in 1986. On the volleyball court, Whalen was named first Team All-New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) and won the 1986 NECC singles championship in tennis.
After graduating from New Haven, Whalen served as an assistant softball and volleyball coach at Amity High School. She went back to college and attended the graduate program at the University of Richmond while also coach of the women's volleyball club. She received a master's degree in sport management in 1991.
In 2004, Whalen was inducted into the Connecticut Scholastic and Collegiate Softball Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into her high school (Cheshire, CT) Hall of Fame in March 1999.
In addition to her softball duties, Whalen also serves as an Assistant Athletic Director/ Senior Women's Administrator at Adelphi. This includes making sure the University is compliant with regards to issues of Title IX and student-athlete well-being.
In 2002, she was instrumental in the creation of the NYCAC Senior Female-Athletes Brunch in honor of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The event, which will celebrate its fourth year in 2005, honors all senior female athletes throughout the NYCAC with special recognition to the female athlete with the highest grade point average.
