Thursday, Apr 3, 2025
She joins the Broncs after leading the Arcadia Knights for three seasons
by Rider Sports Information
Rider University Director of Athletics Don Harnum has announced the hiring of Jackie Hartzell as the next head coach of the women's basketball program. Hartzell becomes the 20th head coach in the history of the program and sixth in the Division I era.
"I am honored and humbled to be named the head coach at Rider University," says Hartzell. "I want to thank President Dell'Omo, Athletic Director Don Harnum and Senior Women's Administrator Karin Torchia for believing in me and giving me this incredible opportunity. I look forward to this new and exciting challenge and I can't wait to get started."
Hartzell comes to Rider from Arcadia University, where she produced an instant turnaround, posting a 54-26 (.675) record over three seasons with a 28-16 (.636) conference mark, and was named the MAC Coach of the Year following the 2024-25 season. In her first season, Hartzell led the women's basketball team to their first MAC postseason victory in program history. In her second season at the helm of the program, Hartzell set a program record for wins and guided the Knights to the team's first-ever appearance in the conference championship game.
She has a proven track record of supporting student-athlete development, both academically and athletically, while creating a positive environment that produces winning results."
Her time at Arcadia came after a successful eight-season run as head coach at University of the Sciences, where she compiled a 185-57 (.765) record, going 123-28 (.815) against conference opponents, won three CACC Championships, made five NCAA Tournament appearances, and earned five NCAA Division II Tournament victories, highlighted by a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2018.
"The preference going into the search was to attract someone that had successful head coaching experience and strong recruiting ties to the region," says Harnum. "After speaking to numerous individuals with strong knowledge in women's basketball coaching circles and interviewing several impressive candidates, I am confident we found what we were looking for in Jackie Hartzell. She has a proven track record of supporting student-athlete development, both academically and athletically, while creating a positive environment that produces winning results."
A four-time CACC Coach of the Year, Hartzell was selected as the HERO Sports Women's Basketball Division II National Coach of the Year following the 2017-18 season and the NCAA East Region Coach of the Year in 2019. Locally, she was selected as the Philadelphia Coaches Conference Collegiate Coach of the Year in 2017 and the City of Basketball Love Coach of the Year in 2022.
Hartzell's athletes have benefitted from her success with junior Delaney Bell becoming the first player in Arcadia program history to be named MAC Freedom Player of the Year following the 2024-25 season. While at USciences, Hartzell's team was the NCAA Statistical Champion for scoring defense, holding opponents to just 49.8 points per game for the season.
Additionally, Hartzell's teams have been equally honored off the court, finishing as a WBCA Academic Top 25 Team for six-straight seasons during her tenure at USciences.
A press conference to introduce Hartzell will be conducted next week with further details to come.