Cheryl Cole – Head Women’s Basketball Coach – Women’s Basketball Coaches

She has enjoyed no shortage of successes at Plattsburgh State, but the 2013-14 campaign was notably memorable after having her squad smash countless program record en route to a 23-6 overall record and Cole being named State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year.

Through the course of the memorable campaign, the Cardinals accumulated a number of firsts for the program. Plattsburgh State – the number one overall seed in the SUNYAC Women’s Basketball Tournament for the first time ever – defeated third-seeded SUNY Geneseo in the SUNYAC Women’s Basketball Tournament title game on March 1 by a 57-52 tally to capture the program’s first SUNYAC Tournament crown. The Cardinals clinched the SUNYAC regular season title one week prior, defeating Buffalo State 94-68 in Memorial Hall. 

Following their run in the SUNYAC Tournament, the Cardinals earned their first-ever berth to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament where they earned the first-ever win over an NCAA Tournament opponent, besting Roger Williams University 67-56 before bowing out in the second round. 

Cole was recognized as the 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division III Region 2 Coach of the Year after leading her team’s extraordinary run and coached 2013-14 SUNYAC Player of the Year Kathleen Payne. Payne went on to capture some seven postseason honors including Honorable Mention All-American accolades by two agencies (WBCA and D3hoops.com). 

The Cardinals have qualified for postseason play during 14 of her seasons, including the SUNYAC Tournament from 1998 to 2005, 2009, and 2011 to 2015, as well as an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate bid in 2003. Prior to her arrival in 1997, Plattsburgh advanced to the postseason only four times during a 23-year stretch from 1975-97.

The 2020-21 Plattsburgh State women’s basketball campaign marks the 24th season at the helm for head coach Cheryl Cole.She has enjoyed no shortage of successes at Plattsburgh State, but the 2013-14 campaign was notably memorable after having her squad smash countless program record en route to a 23-6 overall record and Cole being named State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year.Through the course of the memorable campaign, the Cardinals accumulated a number of firsts for the program. Plattsburgh State – the number one overall seed in the SUNYAC Women’s Basketball Tournament for the first time ever – defeated third-seeded SUNY Geneseo in the SUNYAC Women’s Basketball Tournament title game on March 1 by a 57-52 tally to capture the program’s first SUNYAC Tournament crown. The Cardinals clinched the SUNYAC regular season title one week prior, defeating Buffalo State 94-68 in Memorial Hall.Following their run in the SUNYAC Tournament, the Cardinals earned their first-ever berth to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament where they earned the first-ever win over an NCAA Tournament opponent, besting Roger Williams University 67-56 before bowing out in the second round.Cole was recognized as the 2014 Russell Athletic/WBCA NCAA Division III Region 2 Coach of the Year after leading her team’s extraordinary run and coached 2013-14 SUNYAC Player of the Year Kathleen Payne. Payne went on to capture some seven postseason honors including Honorable Mention All-American accolades by two agencies (WBCA and D3hoops.com).The Cardinals have qualified for postseason play during 14 of her seasons, including the SUNYAC Tournament from 1998 to 2005, 2009, and 2011 to 2015, as well as an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate bid in 2003. Prior to her arrival in 1997, Plattsburgh advanced to the postseason only four times during a 23-year stretch from 1975-97.

Under Cole, the Cardinals have set several team records, including season victories (23) in 2013-14.  Over half of the program’s eight 1,000-point scorers have played under Cole as Scottie Rovito and Erin Hutchinson became the first set of teammates to accomplish the feat in the same season (2003-04).  Several Cardinals have earned All-SUNYAC honors 19 times during her tenure.

In addition to her coaching duties, Cole is an assistant athletic director and senior woman administrator at Plattsburgh State. In those roles, she represents Plattsburgh State at NCAA and SUNYAC meetings, serves as an ex-officio member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and Intercollegiate Athletic Board, participates in departmental employment search committees and completes both the EADA and Equity in Athletics reports for the NCAA and federal government, respectively. In addition, Cole was named the interim athletic director in spring 2004 and a co-interim athletic director in spring 2016 while the College administrators conducted a search for a permanent replacement for the the director of athletics.

Cole owns a 249-337 NCAA record in 23 years for her career—all at Plattsburgh State. The Cardinals posted a 15-3 SUNYAC mark for a school record in conference victories in 2013-14. She registered her 100th victory at Plattsburgh State in the 2005-06 season opener on Nov. 19, 2005, when the Cardinals routed Green Mountain College, 66-37. On Feb. 20, 2015, Cole reached the 200-win plateau when she led the Cardinals to a 67-52 home win over The College at Brockport.

Cole came to Plattsburgh after three seasons after serving as the women’s basketball coach at Paul Smith’s College from 1994-97. She earned NJCAA Division II Region III Coach of the Year accolades in 1996-97 after leading the Lady Bobcats to the most wins in team history. The team compiled a 25-4 record that season, which included a runner-up finish in the NJCAA Division II Region III Tournament.  She also was the school’s assistant athletics director and women’s soccer coach.

Cole also worked at St. Lawrence University from 1991-93 and Mary Washington College from 1987-91 as the women’s assistant soccer coach and a residence life adviser of both schools. 

A member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches (WBCA) and New York State Basketball Coaches’ associations, Cole recently served on the WBCA Coach of the Year Committee from 1999-2005 and has was the SUNYAC Captain for the NCAA from 2000-04. She has also served on the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball East Region Advisory Committee.

Cole is a 1986 graduate of the University of Rochester with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. She also earned a Master of Science degree in human development from Rochester.

A highly accomplished collegiate basketball and soccer player, Cole was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. She was the Most Valuable Player of the 1985 New York State Women’s Basketball Tournament and captained the Yellow Jackets (13-2-1 overall) to the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship in 1986, the team’s first of back-to-back national titles. She was given the Merle Spurrier Award for Leadership, Enthusiasm and Service.

In her spare time, she enjoys golfing, running and traveling.

The Cole Coaching Record

Season
School
Record
Conf./Place
Note

1997-98
Plattsburgh State
12-13
9-6/3rd (E)
SUNYAC Tournament

1998-99
Plattsburgh State
14-11
11-9/6th
SUNYAC Tournament

1999-00
Plattsburgh State
11-14
10-10/T-6th
SUNYAC Tournament

2000-01
Plattsburgh State
12-13
9-11/T-6th
SUNYAC Tourn., Cardinal Cl. champions

2001-02
Plattsburgh State
16-10
10-6/5th
SUNYAC Tournament semifinals

2002-03
Plattsburgh State
16-11
11-5/T-4th
SUNYAC, ECAC Upstate tournaments

2003-04
Plattsburgh State
7-19
3-13/T-8th
SUNYAC Tourn., Cardinal Cl. champions

2004-05
Plattsburgh State
11-15
6-10/T-7th
SUNYAC Tournament

2005-06
Plattsburgh State
6-19
4-12/T-8th
7 Academic All-SUNYAC selections

2006-07
Plattsburgh State
6-19
3-13/11th
4 Academic All-SUNYAC selections

2007-08
Plattsburgh State
5-19
3-13/5th (E)
4 Academic All-SUNYAC selections

2008-09
Plattsburgh State
12-14
8-8/T-6th
SUNYAC Tournament

2009-10
Plattsburgh State
4-20
2-16/10th
2 Academic All-SUNYAC selections

2010-11
Plattsburgh State
8-17
5-13/7th
SUNYAC Tourn., SUNYAC Rookie of the Year

2011-12
Plattsburgh State
10-15
7-11/7th
SUNYAC Tourn., 1 first team All-SUNYAC selections.

2012-13
Plattsburgh State
15-12
10-8/5th
SUNYAC Tourn., 1 first team and 1 second team All-SUNYAC Selection

2013-14
Plattsburgh State
23-6
15-3/1st
SUNYAC Tournament Champions, SUNYAC Coach of the Year, First NCAA Tournament appearance

2014-15
Plattsburgh State
12-14
9-9/5th
SUNYAC Tourn., 1 First Team, 1 Second Team All-SUNYAC selection

2015-16
Plattsburgh State
14-11
8-10/7th
2 All-SUNYAC Selections., 1 First Team, 1 Third Team, 1 All-Region selection

2016-17
Plattsburgh State
10-15
6-12/8th
7 SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll selections

2017-18
Plattsburgh State
8-17
6-12/8th
6 SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll selections

2018-19
Plattsburgh State
10-15
7-11/7th
2 All-SUNYAC Selections, 1 Second Team, 1 Third Team

2019-20
Plattsburgh State
7-18
4-14/9th

23 years
Career Totals
249-337
166-235
13 postseason berths, one SUNYAC regular-season title, one SUNYAC Tournament title, one NCAA Tournament appearance.