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"Sacred Heart is a special place—from the moment you step foot on campus, you can feel the energy and excitement of a thriving academic community,” Mannetti said in a press release. “One that I am so proud to join and contribute to.”
A Fairfield County native who grew up in New Canaan, Mannetti was head coach of Greens Farms Academy in Westport before taking an assistant coaching job at Hofstra University in 2009. The 2013-14 season will be her first as an NCAA head coach.
Mannetti was a three-sport athlete at Manhattanville College in Bronxville, N.Y., playing volleyball, softball and basketball before her graduation in 2001. She has also previously coached AAU teams and worked as an intern for the New York Knicks and as a staffer for the New York Liberty.
"I think [Mannetti] has the passion and commitment that will make her successful," SHU athletic director Bobby Valentine said in a press release. "The thing that stands out the most about Jessica are the reactions I've gotten from other people about her and how superlative those comments were. I'm excited about where things are going here and I hope that filters into the community."
Former Sacred Heart coach Ed Swanson left the Pioneers last month after 23 years as head coach. He will be the head coach at William and Mary this fall.
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