Arcadia hires former University of Sciences women’s basketball coach Jackie Hartzell

The end of sports at the University of Sciences turns out to be Arcadia University’s gain. Jackie Hartzell, who led the Sciences women’s basketball team to five NCAA Tournament appearances in eight seasons, is the new coach at Arcadia.

Hartzell, previously the coach at Archbishop Ryan High, was looking to remain a head coach in local college coaching and now moves from Division II, a level with scholarships, to non-scholarship Division III.

“When I came on campus, it just felt right,” Hartzell said Monday. “Even though Arcadia is D-III, they have a lot to offer. I can probably go after a similar type of kid that I did at the University of Sciences.”

Hartzell’s Sciences teams posted a 186-57 (.765) record with five trips to the NCAA Division II tournament topped by a Sweet 16 appearance in 2018. In the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference, Hartzell’s teams finished with a 123-28 record (.815), winning three conference championships, alongside one of the four berths into the CACC postseason tournament every season.

When the merger between Sciences and St. Joseph’s was finalized, the Sciences athletic department and all of its sports were dissolved after the last academic year.

Hartzell had been “pretty set on not coaching. Not because I didn’t want to coach, but I didn’t get an opportunity that was the right fit,” she said. “It was looking like I would be taking a year off.”

» READ MORE: Last chapter for Sciences was officially a special one.

Arcadia notes that under Hartzell, Sciences was among the top 10 in scoring defense five seasons in a row, and led Division II in the category last season.

“Any time you get an opportunity to hire a Jackie Hartzell, you have to take advantage of that,” said Arcadia athletic director Brian Granata. “We’re ecstatic. I think we’re positioned here to reap the rewards.”

Granata noted that Hartzell had played college basketball at Delaware Valley, in the same Middle Atlantic Conference. She started her coaching career as the freshman coach at her own alma mater, St. Huberts, before coaching the junior varsity team at Archbishop Wood, then taking over at Ryan.

“She has familiarity with our league,” Granata said. “Talking to people who know her within the industry -- candidly, it’s some of the best recommendations I’ve heard. People rave about her knowledge of the sport, her connection with her players, her passion for the game.”