"I am extremely excited and grateful to be named the new head women's basketball coach at Regis College. This program has taken great strides in the past couple of years, and I look forward to not only continuing that success but taking the program to new heights."
Those were the words of Angela Santa Fe in August, 2013 after taking over as the Pride's new women's basketball coach. Just a few months later she would pick up her first win, setting her on the path to becoming the program's fastest coach to 100 wins which she earned on January 20 against Suffolk.
"Coach A" got her start at Regis under Julie Plant who hired her as a graduate assistant in 2011. "Angela was an outstanding role model for our student-athletes," said Plant. "What sets her apart is her commitment to helping them become successful not only on the court but in life." "I was really fortunate to start off as a GA and learn from Julie who directed me on this path. I knew we had a lot to work with and it was important to build on this winning culture," Santa Fe added.
100 wins conjures memories of league titles and record winning streaks, but it's the student-athletes and coaches that have come through the program, and the culture she inherited and built upon, that Santa Fe is reminded of the most. "It's pretty remarkable that we've had Brittany Stone break our scoring record because she's played alongside two other 1,000-point scorers," said Santa Fe of senior forward who has joined forces with fellow 1,000 points scorers Emilee Marro and Amanda Hawkesworth. "It just goes to show you that our culture is not about one person. We are big on sharing the ball and putting each other in places to be successful."
Santa Fe was quick to point out the 2017-18 senior class as instrumental in fostering the culture that has made the program so successful. "When I took over I knew I had to get players that were going to help grow the culture already in place here. The seniors this year were my first recruiting class and have really been a driver for the success we've had," praises Santa Fe of seniors Linsay Bumila, Shannon Hayes, Brandi Bonneau and Brittany Stone.
Santa Fe's meteoric ascent to 100 wins was achieved in large part by the team's dominance in the New England Collegiate Conference. Now nearing the end of its first season as a member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, little has changed on the court with the team near the top of the league standings, and nothing has changed with the program's culture.
"With any transition comes challenges," says Santa Fe of the move to the GNAC, "but our winning tradition is built less on basketball talent but more of high character and hardworking players. I knew there would be challenges, and there have been, but the culture that's in place will hopefully maintain the success of the program."
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