Jason Rhine begins his seventh season as head women’s basketball coach at Misericordia University in 2022-23.
The Cougars are 101-48 overall and 54-24 in MAC Freedom play in Rhine’s first six seasons. The Cougars have reached the MAC Freedom championships every year under Rhine and their 101 wins mark the best six-year stretch in program history.
Rhine’s .678 winning percentage currently ranks first in program history and he is second all-time in total wins. Off the court, the women’s basketball program recently ranked ninth in the nation for their team GPA of 3.69. This top 25 academic award has been achieved every year since Rhine’s arrival.
In 2021-22, the Cougars played one of the toughest schedules in the country as they played the second-most regionally ranked opponents out of every team in the nation. They finished with an overall record of 16-11 and 10-6 in the MAC Freedom and advanced to the MAC Freedom semifinals after beating Wilkes University in the MAC Freedom quarterfinals.
Two players earned All-MAC Freedom honors (Alyssa Bondi 1
st Team, Melina Santacroce Honorable Mention) and the Cougars had the most players named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll among the 18 schools in the MAC.
Bondi was named to the Academic All-MAC team and 15 players were named Scholar-Athletes with a GPA of 3.4 or higher.
The 2020-21 season was a shortened season due to Covid-19. The MAC Championships consisted of a team from each the Freedom and Commonwealth side playing in a final crossover game. Two players earned All-MAC Freedom honors (Meaghan McCaffrey 2
nd Team, Bondi Honorable Mention).
Rhine’s fourth season (2019-20) saw some unanticipated strides as the program went 20-7 with a team that lost four starters and 75% of its scoring from the year prior. The Cougars finished the regular season in second place before falling to King’s in the MAC Freedom semifinals.
Notably, three players received All-MAC Freedom honors while senior Jordan Barth was named Honorable Mention All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and junior Tessa Zamolyi was named to the D3Hoops.com regional team. Ten players were also named Scholar-Athletes for having a GPA of 3.4 or higher.
Rhine’s third season at the helm in 2018-19 was one for the record books as the program finished the year with a program best 23 wins. The Cougars reached the MAC Freedom championship game for the first time in six seasons and earned a berth into the ECAC Tournament before falling to eventual champion NYU in the final four.
His team’s 60 wins in three seasons is the most wins ever for a three-year mark for women’s basketball at Misericordia University; the program had only won 17 games in three years prior. In addition, the program set 11 new records, including the longest winning streak in program history at 16 games. The Cougars finished the year ranked top 10 in the nation in five categories while having two players earn All-MAC Freedom honors (Rachel Carmody 1
st team, Japriya Carroll 2
nd team). Each of those players also eclipsed the 1,000 point mark during the season.
In 2017-18, Rhine concluded his second season at Misericordia University. The team was 18-11, reached the semifinals of the MAC Freedom Tournament for the second consecutive year and earned a berth into the ECAC’s. They knocked off the number one seed Mount Saint Mary and beat Lebanon Valley College before falling to NYU in the final four. The Cougars set three program records while finishing top 10 in the nation in four categories. Three players earned All-MAC Freedom honors, including Tessa Zamolyi, who was named the MAC Freedom Rookie of the Year.
In his first year leading the Cougars, Rhine led MU to its best season in 10 years as they earned the No. 2 seed and advanced to the semifinals of the MAC Freedom tournament. He took over a team that was 17-57 over three seasons prior to his arrival and quickly guided them to 19-9 record, including 11-3 in conference, a school record since joining the MAC Freedom.
The team earned the number two seed in the MAC Freedom Championships after being picked seventh out of eight teams in the pre-season. Rhine was named MAC Freedom Coach of the Year, D3hoops.com Atlantic Region Coach of the Year and ECAC North Coach of the Year while his .786 winning percentage was the highest among all first year Division III head coaches in the nation. The Cougars set five program records while finishing number one in the nation for defensive rebounds per game and top five in the nation in four other categories. Three players earned All-MAC Freedom honors, including Justine Seely, who was named the Conference Player of the Year and D3Hoops.com Atlantic Region Player of the Year.
Rhine graduated from Keystone College with a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management before earning his master’s degree at California University of Pennsylvania. He was selected as the Graduate Assistant at Cal U where the team was 40-18 in two seasons. During that span, the Vulcans reached the NCAA Division II "Sweet Sixteen" and later won a national title. Rhine's recruiting played a significant factor in the Vulcans winning that 2014-2015 NCAA Division II National Championship. He later made stops as an assistant coach at Washington & Jefferson College and Aurora University before arriving at Misericordia in August of 2016. He currently sits as the chair for Misericordia’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and serves as the MAC chairperson for the WBCA.
Rhine's record at Misericordia
| Year |
|
|
Overall |
|
|
MAC Freedom |
|
|
Highlight |
| 2016-17 |
|
|
19-9 |
|
|
11-3 |
|
|
MAC Freedom Semifinals, ECAC Quarterfinals |
2017-18
2018-19 |
|
|
18-11
23-6 |
|
|
9-5
10-4 |
|
|
MAC Freedom Semifinals, ECAC Semifinals
MAC Freedom Finals, ECAC Semifinals |
| 2019-20 |
|
|
20-7 |
|
|
10-4 |
|
|
MAC Freedom Semfinals, ECAC Quarterfinals |
| 2020-21 |
|
|
5-4 |
|
|
4-2 |
|
|
MAC Freedom Championships* |
| 2021-22 |
|
|
16-11 |
|
|
10-6 |
|
|
MAC Freedom Semifinals |
| Totals |
|
|
101-48 |
|
|
54-24 |
|
|
6 MAC Freedom Tournament Appearances;
4 ECAC Tournament Appearances
* COVID shortened season |
