SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- Mount Holyoke College Director of Athletics Andrea Ricketts-Preston today announced the appointment of Robin Hart, head women's soccer coach at Cal State East Bay, as the Lyons' new assistant director of athletics. Hart begins her duties at Mount Holyoke today and will begin on campus later this month.
"I'm thrilled to welcome Robin and her family to the Mount Holyoke College community as our new Assistant Director of Athletics," Ricketts-Preston said. "Her proven track record of success in elevating teams to conference contenders and record breakers will have an immediate and positive impact on our scholar-athletes here at Mount Holyoke. She will bring fresh energy and a passion for working with students to achieve their goals and beyond. I couldn't be more excited to have her on our leadership team."
Hart is shifting her career direction into athletic administration, following a successful coaching career that began as an assistant coach at her alma mater, San Francisco State University, in 2012. Hart later served as assistant coach at Sonoma State University and as head coach at Menlo College before her appointment as head coach at Division II Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Calif., in 2018.
"I can't wait to get on to campus and start," said Hart. "I am excited for this opportunity at Mount Holyoke to transition into administration, and at the same time broaden my reach to positively affect more student-athletes."
At Cal State East Bay, Hart raised her team's conference finish from 11th to seventh to third place within her first three seasons, and led the Pioneers to their first CCAA playoff berth and first CCAA tournament championship. At the same time, Hart created an academic plan to give student-athletes the necessary tools to succeed in the classroom, and her team's GPA rose as high as 3.74.
"Robin Hart will be an incredible asset to Mount Holyoke College, the way she has been for Pioneer Athletics the past seven years," said Allison Kern, associate vice president and director of athletics at Cal State East Bay. "As a professional, Robin is skilled at building relationships and connecting authentically with student-athletes. During her tenure at Cal State East Bay, Robin elevated our women's soccer program to be a force in the CCAA and won the team's first Conference Championship in more than two decades. As a colleague in a department, Robin is an outstanding teammate and is committed to winning in the big picture. We will certainly miss her here, but wish her the best in this next step of her career."
Hart shined as a student-athlete at San Francisco State, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. She won SFSU's Arete Award for the Most Outstanding Student-Athlete of the Year in 2009 and was named to the CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District. She went on to earn a master's degree in coaching and athletic administration from Concordia University, Irvine in 2017.
