NEW ROCHELLE, NY – Iona College director of athletics Matthew Glovaski announced the appointment of Katie Jansson as head coach of the softball program. Jansson returns to her alma mater after serving as Monroe College's head coach in 2018.
 
"I'd like to thank Dr. Nyre, Matt Glovaski and the entire search committee for giving the opportunity to come back home to Iona. I'm extremely excited to have all the players back on campus and get to work."
 
"Iona College is excited to have Katie return to Iona as our new head softball coach," said Glovaski. "Katie brings a winning pedigree that she has carried since arriving to Iona back as a student-athlete. As a head coach, she will bring tremendous passion and desire to our program. Her tireless work ethic and infectious energy will help continue to build our program in the years to come." 
 
A 2014 graduate of Iona, Jansson was a standout student-athlete for the Gaels from 2010 to 2014. A four-year starter at catcher, the Gaels won three MAAC softball championships (2011, 2012 and 2014) during her tenure. Jansson was a 2014 MAAC All-Tournament Team selection. She ranks top 10 in program history with 199 career games played, 517 career plate appearances and 79 runs batted in. Jansson's 16 home runs are second most by a Gael catcher and just outside the top 10 all-time.  Academically, she was a three-time MAAC All-Academic Team honoree and NFCA Scholar-Athlete All-American.
 
In 2018, Jansson served as head coach at Monroe College, located across town in New Rochelle. She was responsible for all aspects of running a competitive NJCAA Division I softball program including scheduling, travel coordination, practice planning, academic monitoring, recruiting, preparing scouting reports, facility and equipment management and strength and conditioning.
 
Jansson led the Mustangs to a 21-19 overall record and 2018 NJCAA Region X tournament berth, the first appearance in program history at the NJCAA DI level. She also coached Monroe's first ever NJCAA DI All-American. Jansson's attention to academics was noted with her team GPA of 3.0, a program record.
 
Prior to taking the helm with the Mustangs, Jansson was an assistant coach with the Maroon & Gold during the 2017 season. The Gaels took first place in the MAAC standings to earn the regular season title and hosted the conference tournament for the first time in school history. The program also took part in the inaugural NISC Tournament and picked up its first ever national postseason win.
 
In her one season on the sidelines with Iona, the Gaels dominated the MAAC, ranking top five in multiple offensive categories and had the No. 13 nationally ranked fielding percentage defensive squad.
 
Jansson's tutelage helped current rising senior Alana Evans to earn MAAC Pitcher of the Year and recent graduate catcher Tori Danner '18 claim MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Iona had six All-MAAC selections including three on the first team, one on the second and two all-rookie selections.
 
Prior to joining head coach Melissa Inouye's staff in 2017, Jansson was a graduate assistant coach at Manhattanville College. The Valiants boasted a historic 2016 campaign that included being Middle Atlantic Freedom Conference champions, an NCAA Regional championship and 2016 NCAA Super Regional appearance. The Valiants led all of Division III in multiple offensive categories including home runs and slugging percentage. They set numerous new program bests in offensive categories.
 
Jansson graduated cum laude in 2014 with a BA in speech language pathology. She obtained an MS in sports business management at Manhattanville.

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