SPARKILL, N.Y. (March 3, 2021) – St. Thomas Aquinas College Softball Head Coach Kristen Sullivan today announced the hiring of assistant coach Penny Roberts, a former Olympian and accomplished coach.

“Penny brings an extraordinary level of experience to our program,” said Sullivan. “Her playing career as a Division I athlete and an Olympian coupled with her noteworthy accomplishments as a coach are very impressive. She will have an immediate impact on every aspect of our program.”

Roberts has established herself as one of the region’s most respected softball coaches after a superlative playing career. After excelling at nearby Clarkstown South High School, she played four years at Rutgers University where she earned All-Northeast Regional, Atlantic-10 All Conference and Academic All-American honors. She was later picked to play for the Puerto Rican national team that won a silver medal at the 1995 Pan American Games and competed in the 1996 Olympics.

Her teams in the Empire State Huskies travel program and at Monroe-Woodbury High School have reached high levels of achievement under her tutelage. The Huskies were nationally ranked in the 2020-21 season and Monroe-Woodbury ascended to the No. 1 rating in New York State’s Class AA ratings in 2019.

“Coaching at the collegiate level has always been a dream of mine so I’m beyond excited to join the STAC program,” said Roberts. “Playing at Rutgers helped create some of the most memorable years of my life and I hope to help make great memories for the players at STAC.”