ATLANTA (Feb. 6, 2019) —Agnus Berenato, head coach at Kennesaw State University, is the recipient of the 2019 Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced today.
The Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award is named in honor of the late Carol Eckman, the former West Chester State College coach, who is considered the “Mother of the Women’s Collegiate Basketball Championship.” Eckman organized the first women’s basketball championship in 1969 at West Chester. She continued to garner recognition and support for the women’s game until her death from cancer in 1985.
The WBCA presents the award annually to an active member coach who exemplifies Eckman’s spirit, integrity and character through sportsmanship, commitment to the student-athlete, honesty, ethical behavior, courage and dedication to purpose.
"I am pleased to present Agnus Berenato with the Carol Eckman Integrity in Coaching Award,” said Danielle Donehew, executive director of the WBCA. “Agnus is a powerful teacher who emphasizes the development of the total person -- academic, athletic and philanthropic success. She has built a powerful legacy, strengthening our game with each interaction over her 31 years as head coach. I was blessed to have Agnus as my collegiate coach, mentor and encourager. My family and I are eternally grateful for the impact she has made and continues to make in my life.”
Berenato began her collegiate coaching career in 1982 at Rider University where she coached for four years. She then served as head coach for Georgia Tech from 1989 to 2003, which included a 1992 WNIT championship and appearances in the 1993 and 2003 NCAA tournaments. In 2003, she began a 10-year tenure at the University of Pittsburgh. While at Pitt, she led the team to a WNIT final four in 2005 and the school’s first NCAA women’s tournament appearance in 2006.
In 2016, the New Jersey native returned to coaching as head coach at Kennesaw State. Since taking over the program, the Owls have won their first Atlantic Sun Conference championship and recruited back-to-back unanimous ASUN Conference freshmen of the year.
Berenato is a member of the Rider University Hall of Fame and a two-time Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year. She has an Honorary Doctorate of Human Letters from Mount St. Mary’s and Seton Hill University. In 2012, she received the Terri L. Chapman Award from the Pittsburgh Affiliate of Susan G. Komen.
The Carol Eckman Award was first presented in 1985. Visit www.wbca.org/recognize/ to see a list of past recipients.
About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association is the professional association for coaches of women's and girls' basketball at all levels of competition. The WBCA offers educational resources that coaches need to help make themselves better leaders, teachers and mentors to their players; provides opportunities for coaches to connect with peers in the profession; serves as the unifying voice of a diverse community of coaches to the organizations that control the game; and celebrates those coaches, players and other individuals who excel each year and contribute to the advancement of the sport. Visit www.WBCA.org for more details about the Association.