Castricone is named Hilbert soccer coach
Contributed Photo – Jenna Castricone
Press Release
HAMBURG, N.Y. – Megan Valentine, the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Hilbert College, is pleased to introduce Jenna Castricone as the Hawks’ Women’s Soccer Head Coach. Castricone is excited to hit the ground running in preparation for her first opportunity leading an NCAA Division III program.
Castricone, a 2018 Hilbert graduate, returns to her roots after spending last fall as a graduate assistant women’s soccer coach at Canisius College. She assisted in on-field training and skill development as well as helping to manage film breakdown and opponent scouting, team travel and on-campus recruiting events.
She has already taken the first step of leadership at Hilbert as Castricone served as an assistant softball coach for the Hawks during the 2019 spring season as well as assisting with event management operations during the 2018-19 basketball season.
“I am very humbled and excited to be given this opportunity to return as a head coach at Hilbert and I am looking forward to getting this program back on the radar in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference,” said Castricone.
The Medina native was a four-year student-athlete for the Hawks’ soccer and softball programs. She was named her team’s Most Valuable Player several times (2014-15 both in soccer and softball and again in 2017-18 for the soccer team) while also garnering softball’s Most Improved Player (2017) and Coaches Award (2018) as well as an AMCC All-Sportsmanship recognition (2015) as voted by her soccer teammates.
“In my first year with Hilbert athletics, Jenna landed on my radar and set herself apart due to her strong work ethic, attention to detail and quality, and a recognition of and an appreciation for process,” Valentine said. “She has an insatiable appetite to learn, and I am looking forward to working with her further as we build Hilbert’s women’s soccer program into an AMCC contender.”
Castricone was a field player in 2014 before she transitioned into the starting goalie her final three years on the pitch. She was named a Second Team AMCC All-Conference goalie in 2016 after posting six shutout wins with a 1.75 goals against average for the 9-7-1 Hawks. Castricone closed her 65-game career (49 in net) with a .800 save percentage and a 2.11 goals against average while earning six shutout victories and a 16-29-4 record.
As a four-year softball starter, Castricone shared time covering the infield and outfield defensively for the Hawks. She started in all 125 games played, was just shy of 100 hits (94), scored 51 runs and earned 63 RBIs.
Castricone was a multi-year AMCC Academic All-Conference selection and she contributed to the Hilbert women’s soccer program’s dominance in winning the AMCC Team Peak Performer honor three of her four years. She was a member of Hilbert College’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and participated in the 2018 NCAA Convention via an AMCC grant.
Castricone earned a bachelor’s degree in sport industry management along with a minor in digital media and communications. She secured her master’s degree in sports administration from Canisius in 2019.
