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Jill Pace





Jill Pace enters her sixth season as the Tufts University women's basketball coach after being hired for the 2019-20 season. Pace has continued the excellence in the program's history, going 85-26 during her four seasons as the mentor of the women's hoops team. Pace brings her strength as a recruiter and coach to the Tufts program after leading the women's basketball team at Pomona-Pitzer, where she turned a team that won one game into a 22-win contender in just three seasons. Pace carried that success to Tufts, where she finished the 2023-2024 season with an overall head coaching record of 116-72.



 

  • 2023 NESCAC Champion
  • Has an overall record at Tufts of 85-26 (.766)
  • NESCAC record of 30-10
  • 7-2 at Tufts in NCAA Tournament games, defeating No. 5 Trinity University (Texas) in the 2023 Sweet Sixteen.
  • 34-11 at home during her time at Tufts.
  • 4 All-NESCAC Performers
  • 4 D3hoops.com All-Region honorees
  • 2 All-American selections
  • 2 NESCAC Players of the Year
  • 3 NCAA Tournament Appearances
  • 7-3 in NESCAC Tournament
  • Ranked as high as No. 1 in Week 12 of 2019-2020 season in D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll




 
  • NESCAC Player of the Year (2): 2019-2020: Erica DeCandido, 2022-2023: Maggie Russell
  • NESCAC All-Conference (4): 2019-2020: Erica DeCandido (first team), Molly Ryan (second team), 2021-2022: Maggie Russell (first team), Molly Ryan (second team), 2022-2023: Maggie Russell (first team), Sofia Gonzalez (second team)
  • D3hoops.com National Player of the Year: 2019-2020: Erica DeCandido
  • WBCA All-Americans (2): 2020: Erica DeCandido, 2023: Maggie Russell
  • D3hoops.com All-Region (4): 2020: Erica DeCandido (first team), Molly Ryan (fourth team), 2022: Maggie Russell (first team), Molly Ryan (third team), 2023: Maggie Russell (first team, POTY), Sofia Gonzalez (third team) 2024: Maggie Russell (second team)
  • D3hoops.com Northeast Region Player of the Year (2): 2020: Erica DeCandido, 2023: Maggie Russell



 
  • Head Coach, Women's Basketball, Pomona-Pitzer (2016-2019)
    • Went from 1-23 in first season to 22-6 in third season
    • Won the program's first-ever Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship
    • Posted 20 or more victories for the first time since 1991
  • Assistant Coach, Women's Basketball, Tufts University (2014-2016)
  • Assistant Coach, Women's Basketball, Smith College (2013-2014)



 
Year  School  Overall Record Conference Record Postseason
2016-17 Pomona 1-23 1-15 N/A
2017-18 Pomona 8-17 5-11 N/A
2018-19 Pomona 22-6 14-2 SCIAC Champions, NCAA Division III Tournament First Round
2019-20 Tufts 28-1 10-0 NESCAC Runners Up, NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16 (tournament canceled)
2020-21 Tufts 0-0 0-0 CoVID-19 Postponement of Season
2021-22 Tufts 22-5 8-2 NESCAC Tournament Semifinals, NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16
2022-23 Tufts 24-7 9-1 NESCAC Champions; NCAA Division III Tournament Elite Eight
2023-24 Tufts 11-13 3-7 NESCAC Quarterfinals
       
Totals
 		 at Tufts 85-26 30-10 1 NESCAC Championship, 1 SCIAC Championship, 4 NCAA Division III Tournaments, 5 NESCAC Tournamnts 
2 SCHOOLS 116-72 50-38 30-10



 
  • Is a native New Englander, hailing from Bath, Maine
  • 2012 graduate from Bowdoin
  • 2009 NESCAC Champion
  • 12th in Bowdoin all-time scoring (1085)
    • Dropped 485 points as a senior, fifth most in a season for the Polar Bears
  • WBCA All-American Honorable Mention
  • 3x NESCAC All-Conference player
  • NESCAC All-Academic honoree

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