Kristen Shaeffer, a former college teammate of head coach Jen Niebling with more than a dozen years of coaching experience, completed her first season on the Saint Michael’s women’s basketball coaching staff in 2004-05.

Before joining the Purple Knights, Shaeffer spent seven years as an assistant women’s varsity coach at the College of St. Joseph, an NAIA Division II institution in Rutland, Vt. Shaeffer aided the advancement and training of practices and games, recruited prospective student-athletes, scouted upcoming opponents, and arranged and facilitated travel activities.

While with the Fighting Saints, Shaeffer also served as an assistant varsity softball coach for three years at both the high school and college levels.

From 1996 to 1999, Shaeffer was the head coach of the Vermont Superstars AAU women’s basketball team, a squad she founded. The team competed in advanced spring and summer tournaments throughout the Northeast.

Shaeffer is a 1990 graduate of the University of Vermont, where she received a bachelor’s degree in animal science before earning her master’s degree in cardiac rehabilitation from Springfield College in 1994. While at Springfield, Shaeffer served as a graduate assistant women’s varsity basketball coach for two seasons.

A four-year letterwinner in both basketball and softball at Vermont from 1986-90, Shaeffer served as a basketball captain her senior season, Niebling’s first year with the program. Shaeffer held the program record with 101 blocked shots until 2005, and in softball was selected to the All New England team in 1990.

Shaeffer’s work experience also includes stints as an adjunct professor at both the College of St. Joseph and Castleton State College, and a six-year tenure as an exercise specialist at the Rutland Regional Medical Center’s cardiac rehabilitation program.

Click here to email Coach Shaeffer.