Women's Basketball



Jennifer Niebling
Basketball (W) - Head Coach

Vermont '93
Sixth season
jniebling@smcvt.edu
802.654.2505


Jennifer Niebling, who has been involved with competitive basketball in Vermont for more than two decades, enters her sixth season as head coach of the Saint Michael's College women's basketball program in 2008-09. She led Saint Michael's to an 13-15 season in 2007-08, earning a postseason appearance for the fourth time in her five years with the program.

Niebling, 60-76 in her first five seasons at the helm of the Purple Knights, led Saint Michael's to a 17-11 record in 2005-06. The 17 wins were just one shy of matching the program record, as Saint Michael's finished with a top-10 regional ranking. Saint Michael's also was one of the most improved Division II women's basketball teams in the country in 2005-06 under Niebling.

In her first year at the helm of the Purple Knights, Niebling posted an 11-16 record in 2003-04. She guided Saint Michael's to the Northeast-10 Conference playoffs for the second consecutive season. in 2004-05, Niebling guided a squad that included six freshmen to an 8-18 record, including a 70-60 upset win at nationally-ranked American International College on Feb. 12. And in 2006-07, Niebling's squad went 11-16, earning yet another berth in the NE-10 Tournament.

An assistant coach at the University of Vermont for the six seasons prior to joining Saint Michael's, Niebling was selected as the SMC women's basketball program's fifth head coach in April of 2003. She replaced Sue Duprat, who coached the women's team for 27 years.

"Jen has a proven record with her previous experience at Vermont of being a tireless worker and a talented coach," Athletic Director Geri Knortz said at the announcement of Niebling's hire. "I have great confidence in her abilities to lead our program to success."

Niebling was the top assistant for the highly successful Division I Catamounts for the six seasons prior to joining Saint Michael's, and was actively involved in all aspects of the program. With the Catamounts, she was primarily responsible for recruiting, player development, administrative duties and coordinating summer camps.

Under Head Coach Keith Cieplicki, Niebling helped guide Vermont to three America East Conference regular season championships, one America East tournament title, an NCAA Division I Tournament seed and to the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitation Tournament. She has coached two America East Rookie of the Year selections, a two-time America East Player of the Year and numerous all-conference players.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity," Niebling said. "I believe Saint Michael's is a special place where I feel the women's basketball program can do some very great things."

A four-year letter-winner at Vermont from 1989-93, Niebling's storied collegiate career includes leading the Catamounts to back-to-back undefeated regular seasons and NCAA tournament bids, during which time Vermont went 57-2.

She was a three-time America East All-Conference selection, a two-time all-tournament team selection, and she currently ranks sixth in the program's history with 1,435 points. A 1993 GTE Academic All-American and a District I All-American, she was chosen as one of the Top 50 Vermont athletes of the century by Sports Illustrated magazine.

Fifteen years since her playing days ended, she still ranks in the top ten at UVM in many career statistics, including: steals, three-point percentage, free throw percentage, assists, games played, three-pointers, field goal percentage and rebounds.

Prior to her time on the Vermont sidelines, Niebling spent from 1994-97 as the head women's coach at Trinity College in Burlington, an institution which closed its doors in 2001. She led her squad to a seventh-place finish at the 1996 National Small College Athletic Association National Championship Tournament during her second season at the program's helm.

During her three years at Trinity, she also served as the college's girls basketball camp director and organized the Homegrown Hoops Camp in Randolph, Vt.

As a schoolgirl in Vermont at Division II Randolph Union High School, Niebling scored 1,402 points and led her Galloping Ghosts to the 1988 state title.

"Jen has been a winner at every level from her earliest playing days at Randolph Union High School, through her collegiate career at Vermont, as a head coach at Trinity and an assistant at Vermont she has shown she can get the job done," Knortz said.




Allison Flynn
Basketball (W) - Assistant Coach

Norwich '06
First season
aflynn3@smcvt.edu
802.654.2721


Allison Flynn, an assistant coach with the Norwich University women's basketball program the last two seasons, was named Saint Michael's full-time top assistant coach for women's basketball in September.

The last two seasons, Flynn has been an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Norwich women's basketball program, where she has been involved in all aspects of the team. A graduate of Norwich with a bachelor of arts degree in justice studies in sociology, she had a standout playing career for the Cadets after transferring from Franklin Pierce College (now Franklin Pierce University). A two-year captain, she was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2006, and earned Norwich's Female Athlete of the Year award that same year.

A native of Peabody, Mass., Flynn has also served as the co-director of Norwich's summer basketball camp, and has also worked as a counselor at the Sarah Behn Basketball Camp in her home state.

"We are delighted to welcome Allison to Saint Michael's College and our program," said head coach Jen Niebling. "She has a sincere passion for the game, and has played and coached with great success. We look forward to her helping our program reach new heights."




Kristen Shaeffer
Basketball (W) - Assistant Coach

Vermont '90
First season
kshaeffer@smcvt.edu
802.654.2721


Kristen Shaeffer, a former college teammate of head coach Jen Niebling with more than a dozen years of coaching experience, returns to Saint Michael's in 2008-09 to assist Niebling on the Saint Michael's women's basketball coaching staff.

Shaeffer also worked under Niebling during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, Niebling's second and third as head coach of the Purple Knights.

Before joining the Purple Knights, Shaeffer spent seven years as an assistant women's varsity coach at the College of St. Joseph, an NAIA Division II institution in Rutland, Vt. Shaeffer aided the advancement and training of practices and games, recruited prospective student-athletes, scouted upcoming opponents, and arranged and facilitated travel activities.

While with the Fighting Saints, Shaeffer also served as an assistant varsity softball coach for three years at both the high school and college levels.

From 1996 to 1999, Shaeffer was the head coach of the Vermont Superstars AAU women's basketball team, a squad she founded. The team competed in advanced spring and summer tournaments throughout the Northeast.

Shaeffer is a 1990 graduate of the University of Vermont, where she received a bachelor's degree in animal science before earning her master's degree in cardiac rehabilitation from Springfield College in 1994. While at Springfield, Shaeffer served as a graduate assistant women's varsity basketball coach for two seasons.

A four-year letterwinner in both basketball and softball at Vermont from 1986-90, Shaeffer served as a basketball captain her senior season, Niebling's first year with the program. Shaeffer held the program record with 101 blocked shots until 2005, and in softball was selected to the All New England team in 1990.

Shaeffer's work experience also includes stints as an adjunct professor at both the College of St. Joseph and Castleton State College, and a six-year tenure as an exercise specialist at the Rutland Regional Medical Center's cardiac rehabilitation program.