Katie Jansson was named the new Monroe College Head Softball Coach in July 2017. Jansson comes to Monroe via nearby Iona College, where she served as assistant coach of the NCAA Division I Gaels softball team.
The Gaels took home the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Regular Season Title in 2017 after going 15-5 in conference play. After its elimination from the MAAC Championship Tournament, Iona qualified for the inaugural National Invitational Softball Championship (NISC) Tournament, competing in the Lynchburg, Va. regional hosted by Liberty University, where the Gaels won the program's first-ever national postseason game against Campbell University.
Iona had two student-athletes win major awards in Jansson's lone year with the team. Alana Evans took home MAAC Pitcher of the Year, while Tori Danner was named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Six total Gaels earned All-MAAC recognition, and 10 took home MAAC All-Academic honors.
Following her graduation from Iona in 2014, Jansson served as a Graduate Assistant Softball Coach for Manhattanville College. There, she was responsible for assisting the head coach with day-to-day activities such as practice planning, instruction, game planning, and recruiting.
The Valiants had a remarkable 2016 season, winning the MAC Freedom Conference, and earning a berth into the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament. Manhattanville took home the 2016 NCAA New Jersey Regional Championship, and the Valiants concluded the season with a 41-5 record, ranked No. 19 in the national poll.
Jansson has also given her time to work at various camps and clinics put on by Iona College, Princeton University, Kutztown University and the South Brunswick Athletic Association.
While a student-athlete on the Iona softball team, Jansson was a three-time All-Academic performer, playing in 199 career games and making 517 career plate appearances, each of which ranks Top-10 in Iona College softball program history. Her 16 home runs stand 10th all-time, and her 79 RBIs currently place her ninth in Iona's record book.
Jansson was the starting catcher for the Gaels while they won three MAAC Championships across her four years. She called the game for Sarah Jackson and Alyssa Maiese, two of the most dominant pitchers to ever set foot on the rubber for the Maroon & Gold.
Jansson graduated cum laude from Iona in 2014 with a bachelor of arts in speech language pathology, and earned a master of science in sports business management while serving as a graduate assistant coach at Manhattanville.
