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Agnus Berenato

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Agnus Berenato
Berenato in August 2009
Biographical details
Born (1956-12-09) December 9, 1956 (age 68)
Gloucester City, New Jersey, U.S.
Playing career
1977North Carolina
1978-1980Mount St. Mary's University
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1981Holy Cross HS[1]
1982–1985Rider
1987–1988Georgia Tech (assistant)
1989–2003Georgia Tech
2003–2013Pittsburgh
2016–2021Kennesaw State
Head coaching record
Overall454–433 (.512)

Agnus Berenato (born Agnus McGlade on December 9, 1956), is a former basketball coach. She was the head women's basketball coach at Rider from 1982 to 1985, Georgia Tech from 1989 to 2003, Pittsburgh from 2003 to 2013, and Kennesaw State from 2016 to 2021.[2] She is the all-time wins leader among women's basketball head coaches at the University of Pittsburgh.

Early life and education

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Berenato is the eighth of ten children born to Peter and Theresa McGlade. Raised in Gloucester City, New Jersey, she attended Gloucester Catholic High School, where she played on three state championship teams.[3] Berenato is the elder sister of former Georgia Tech Head Coach and Atlantic 10 Conference Commissioner Bernadette McGlade.

Coach

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Rider University

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From 1982 to 1985, she served as the head women's basketball coach at Rider.[4] During her time at Rider, she also coached Rider's women's volleyball team posting a 66-51 record in four seasons.[5]

She has also been elected into the Camden County, Rider University, and Mount Saint Mary's University Sports Hall of Fames.

Georgia Tech

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Prior to coming to Pittsburgh, she served as the head women's basketball coach for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from 1989 to 2003, where she compiled a 223-209 record with appearances in the 1993 and 2003 NCAA Tournaments.[citation needed]

University of Pittsburgh

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During her tenure at the University of Pittsburgh, the Panthers women's basketball enjoyed the most successful era in its history to date. She led Pitt to a WNIT final four in 2005 and the school's first women's NCAA tournament appearance in 2006. The Panthers concluded the season at 24-9, including a first round win over James Madison.

During the 2007 season, Berenato led the Pitt women to its first win over an opponent ranked in the top 10, first Sweet Sixteen appearance, and first final ranking in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll (#16).[6][7] Success continued in 2009 as she led the Panthers to their second straight Sweet 16 appearance and broke a school record for victories. In 2010, she led Pitt to its fifth straight post-season appearance, a first round loss in the WNIT. With her 159th win at Pitt on December 20, 2012, Berenato broke the all-time record for wins among women's basketball head coaches at the university.[8] However, following back-to-back winless seasons in the Big East Conference in 2012 and 2013, the university announced on April 1, 2013 that she would not return to coach at the university.[9] Berenato finished with a 161-149 (.519) record in 10 seasons at Pitt.

While at Pitt, Berenato was a two time Dapper Dan Sportswomen of the Year, winning the honor in 2005 and 2007.

Sports Diplomacy

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In 2017, Berenato traveled to Guyana and Suriname as a Sports Envoy for the U.S. State Department's Sports Diplomacy Office. During her visit, she conducted basketball clinics and programming related to youth empowerment. In so doing, Berenato helped contribute to Sports Diplomacy's mission to build understanding, awareness, and skills for youth from under-served communities.[10][11]

References

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  1. ^ "Fred Carter inspires former Mount player from theology to coaching". Frederick News-Post. Frederick, Maryland. January 10, 1996. p. 17. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  2. ^ "Kennesaw St. hires Berenato as women's coach". ESPN.com. March 30, 2016. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  3. ^ Zeie, Paul. "New Pitt women's basketball coach Agnus Berenato stresses family values, discipline", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 4, 2003. Accessed December 3, 2017. "Basketball may have become the family sport when Peter installed a basketball hoop next to the garage at their Gloucester City, N.J., home, but the most important lessons Berenato learned in ultra-competitive games on uneven concrete had little to do with the game itself.... She played high school basketball for Gloucester Catholic and helped it win three consecutive state titles. At the time, there weren't many scholarships in women's basketball."
  4. ^ "Mendy Nestor, Women's Basketball 2008-09 Media Guide, Pg. 36" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  5. ^ "Player Bio: Agnus Berenato". Georgia Tech Athletic Association. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  6. ^ "Mendy Nestor, Women's Basketball 2008-09 Media Guide, Pg. 2" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  7. ^ "NCAA College Basketball Polls". ESPN. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  8. ^ Pecyna, Tyler (December 21, 2012). "Berenato breaks Pitt all-time wins mark as Panthers trounce Mount St. Mary's". The PItt News. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  9. ^ Price, Karen (April 1, 2013). "Berenato won't return as Pitt's women's basketball coach". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
  10. ^ "Sports Diplomacy - U.S. Department of State". www.facebook.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
  11. ^ Head, Khadija J. "About Agnus". Agnus Berenato. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
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