Chelsea Danel enters her second year as an assistant coach for the IUP women's basketball program for the 2020-21 season.
Danel's first season on the IUP bench was one of the best in program history. The Crimson Hawks looked to make another run at a national title and win a third straight regional crown in 2020. They took a 28-3 record and PSAC West regular season title into the NCAA tournament, earning the No. 1 seed and hosting responsibilities for the Atlantic Region Championship. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of sports the day before the tournament was set to tip-off.
The No. 1 regional ranking for the NCAA tournament was the program's first in 12 seasons.
The season was highlighted by a program-record 19-game win streak that saw the Crimson Hawks rise to No. 4 in the national rankings. It also led to their third straight PSAC West regular season title with a conference mark of 21-1, another program record. IUP advanced to the PSAC championship game for the fourth time in the last five seasons, but dropped a heartbreaking 50-40 decision to Gannon at the Kovalchick Complex.
Danel coached three All-PSAC West first team selections in seniors Lexi Griggs and Natalie Myers, and junior Justina Mascaro. It was the first time since 1984 that the program put three players on the conference's first team list.
Danel also helped coach one of the top defenses in Division II. The Hawks ranked in the top-10 in four defensive categories, including first in the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at 23.7 percent, fourth with a 32.5 field goal percentage defense, eighth with 53.3 points allowed per game, and 10th with 5.3 blocks per game.
Danel joined the IUP staff after three seasons as an assistant at Hood College, a member of the Division III Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC).
At Hood, Danel was an academic success coach in Hood's Center for Academic Achievement and Retention in addition to her work as an assistant coach for women's basketball.
Danel also served as the head coach of the women's golf program at Hood from November 2016 to January 2019.
Prior to Hood, Danel coached the women's club basketball team at West Virginia University while also serving as a volunteer assistant coach for the varsity women's volleyball team.
Danel played collegiately at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. A three-year starter, she helped the Falcons to four straight NCAA tournament appearances including a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2012-13. As a senior team captain in 2013-14 she earned second team all-league accolades and was named the MVP of the MAC Commonwealth Tournament.
Danel graduated from Messiah in 2014 with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. She earned her master's in athletic coaching education from West Virginia in 2016.
Updated June 19, 2020
