Hall of Fame
Jody Rajcula built the Western Connecticut State University women’s basketball team into one of the premiere programs in New England during her 21 seasons on the bench from 1981-2002. She posted a career record of 383-168 (.695) that included 10 20-win seasons and led WestConn to 16 consecutive postseason appearances (1984-2000), which included 10 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament berths and six trips to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament.
Rajcula was named the 1993-94 Little East Conference (LEC) Coach of the Year after leading Western Connecticut to the LEC regular season and tournament championships in its first year of LEC membership. WestConn posted an overall record of 23-4, including an 11-1 mark in league play, while making the programs first NCAA tournament appearance as a LEC member. That season saw Shannon Flowers LEC Player of the Year and LEC Tournament Most Outstanding Player; she was joined on the all-conference team by Lisa Abbot and Michelle Cyr.
Rajcula’s teams went 164-86 (.656) after Western Connecticut became a member of the LEC and won 20 games on four occasions. Rajcula was named the LEC Coach of the Year three times in total - she won the award for the second time in 1996-97 after WestConn went 25-5 and was honored in 1999-2000 as WestConn went 19-8 and won the LEC regular season title with a league mark of 12-2. Her players totaled 15 All-LEC honors during her tenure, including Flowers and 1994-95 LEC Rookie of the Year Amy Matthews.
WestConn received at-large bids to the NCAA tournament in both 1997 and 1998. The 1997 team advanced to the Sweet 16 after defeating Bates (86-65) and Emmanuel (76-52), and the 1998 squad advanced to the Second Round after routing Middlebury 67-45 to open the tournament.
Rajcula was inducted into Western Connecticut’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007, and is a member of the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.