SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- Jackie Ward is stepping down after six seasons as head coach of Mount Holyoke College basketball, she announced to the team earlier this month. Ward's resignation will take effect at the end of March.

"I'd like to thank Jackie for all of her hard work; she has had a tremendously positive impact on our student-athletes, the athletic department, and in her role as a lecturer within Physical Education," said Andrea Ricketts-Preston, Director of Athletics and Chair of Physical Education. "She will certainly be missed and I wish her the absolute best."

Ward, a former assistant at Hartwick, Smith and Nazareth and a standout player at Binghamton University, is the 12th head coach in the history of the program.

A search has begun for a new head coach of the Mount Holyoke basketball team. The Lyons completed the 2023-24 season, the 50th in program history, on Saturday in a home NEWMAC game against Coast Guard.