There have been many great women athletes and coaches who led Penn State teams to successful seasons, earning conference and national honors in the fifty years since Title IX enactment. This section displays only a small sampling of images of athletes and coaches who were among the best during their collegiate careers at Penn State. The collection link below leads to the collection guide and inventory of more than 11,000 men’s and women’s athletes, coaches, and administrators dating back to the 1880s. Materials in each file may include photos, biographical material, newspaper clippings, and magazine articles for a specific athlete.
Kahdeejah Herbert
Kahdeejah Herbert played on the basketball team from 1982 to 1985 and the first to score more than 2000 points in a career. She is currently fourth in career scoring with 2,025 points and first in rebounds with 1,103. Herbert was named a Kodak All-American in 1984 and 1985.
Kelly Mazzante
Kelly Mazzante was the shooting guard on the basketball team from 2001 to 2004 and one of the most decorated Penn State athletes, winning multiple conference and NCAA awards throughout her career. Among her accomplishments were National Freshman of the Year in 2001; Kodak All-America in 2002, 2003, and 2004; first team AP All-America in 2003 and 2004; and first team All-Big Ten in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004, the first to be named all four years. Mazzante was a prolific scorer, leading the NCAA in scoring per game in 2002 and is third all-time leading scorer in the Big Ten Conference for both men and women with 2,919 points. She was number 22 on the list of Penn State 100 Greatest Athletes in 2020.
Marie Lintner
Marie Lintner was the first head coach of the basketball team from 1965 to 1970 and compiled a record of 20-11.
Mary Ann Domitrovitz
Mary Ann Domitrovitz was an instructor in the College of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation and the head coach of the women’s basketball team from 1971 to 1974, compiling a record of 18-13.
Pat Meiser
Pat Meiser was the head coach of the women’s basketball team from 1974 to 1980, compiling a 92-52 record.
Rene Portland
Rene Portland was head coach of the basketball team from 1980 to 2007. She won seven conference titles and eight tournament championships. Portland team qualified for the NCAA tournament twenty–one times and played in the Final Four in 2000, losing to the eventual champion, Connecticut. She was the National Coach of the Year in 1991 and 2004. Portland led the team to a 605-236 record. Her overall career record was 693-265, coaching at St. Joseph’s and Colorado before arriving at Penn State.
Susan Robinson
Susan Robinson played forward on the basketball team from 1989 to 1992. She is number three in the Penn State record book with 2,253 points and 18.5 points per game. Robinson was honored as a Kodak and USBWA All-American in 1991 and named the Wade Trophy National Player of the Year in 1992. She was number 37 on the list of Penn State 100 Greatest Athletes in 2020.
Robinson served as a Penn State assistant coach during the 1990s and 2000s and was head coach at St. Francis (PA) and Providence, and Director of Athletics at St. Francis from 2016 to 2020.
Suzie McConnell
Suzie McConnell was the point guard from 1984 to 1985 and 1987 to 1988. She holds numerous school records including 507 steals, 71 double-figure assist games, 61 double-doubles, and 7 triple-doubles. McConnell still holds the NCAA women’s record for assists with 1,307. She was named an All-American in 1988. McConnell was number 29 on the list of Penn State 100 Greatest Athletes in 2020.
McConnell helped lead the U.S. women’s basketball team to a gold Medal at 1988 Seoul Olympics and bronze medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. After her playing days, she coached collegiately at Duquesne and Pittsburgh and was the head coach of Minnesota Lynx of WNBA.
Here is the link to the athlete’s and coaches’ files collection: Pennsylvania State University, Intercollegiate Athletics public relations files