PURCHASE, N.Y. — Manhattanville College director of athletics and recreation, Julene Caulfield, announced that Jennifer MacAskill has been hired as the next head coach of the Valiant women’s ice hockey program. MacAskill returns to the Manhattanville bench after previously serving as the top assistant for the last two seasons.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the success and vision of the women’s hockey program here at Manhattanville,” said MacAskill. “I want to thank Julene Caulfield, Julie Hudson, the entire athletic department and especially the players, for their confidence in allowing me to lead the program moving forward.”
Over the past two seasons, MacAskill has assisted the program’s all-time wins leader and now-men’s head coach David Turco to a multitude of success. With her help, the Valiants qualified for the United Collegiate Hockey Conference (UCHC) Tournament both seasons, as the squad combined for a 34-16-5 overall record, including a 25-7-2 mark in UCHC play.
This past season, MacAskill helped guide the squad to the UCHC South Division regular-season championship as well as a runner-up finish in the conference tournament title game. In 2018-19, the Valiants advanced to the UCHC semifinals and also claimed the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) regular-season crown.
“I was fortunate to be part of the staff the past two years and developed such a love for the team and the school,” continued MacAskill. “I am looking forward to continuing that growth and putting the program in a position for more success.”
Individually over the past two seasons, MacAskill helped the rest of the coaching staff guide their players to a total of 15 all-conference selections as well as two conference offensive/defensive players of the year.
“During these unprecedented times, we are extremely lucky to be bring back someone of Jennifer’s caliber to become the next head coach of our women’s hockey program,” said Caulfield. “The relationships she has forged with our current players, alumni and incoming recruiting classes, as well as the experience she gained on the bench learning under coach Turco are invaluable. We look forward to seeing what she can do as the leader of our proud and successful program.”
Prior to her arrival at Manhattanville, MacAskill played four years of Division I women’s hockey at Mercyhurst University from 2014-18, serving as team captain in her senior season. She helped the Lakers to two College Hockey America (CHA) conference championships as well as two NCAA Division I Women’s Ice Hockey Championship Tournament appearances during her sophomore and senior seasons.
While preparing for her first season as an assistant with the Valiants, MacAskill was drafted in Aug. 2018 by the Worcester Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) in the sixth round, eventually playing in seven games. During her juniors’ career, MacAskill played for the Oakville Jr. Hornets of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), where was served as team captain in 2013-14 and finished with 27 points over 33 games.
A native of Valley, Nova Scotia, MacAskill earned her bachelor’s in public health and a minor in psychology from Mercyhurst in 2018. She also earned a master’s degree in sports business management at Manhattanville, graduating in 2020.
