LAWRENCEVILLE — The Rider women’s basketball team has its next head coach. The school named Jackie Hartzell the program’s 20th head coach and sixth in the Division I era on Thursday afternoon. Hartzell arrives in Lawrenceville after three seasons at Division III Arcadia University where she we nt 54-26 and was named MAC Coach of the Year this past season. “The preference going into the search was to attract someone that had successful head coaching experience and strong recruiting ties to the region,” athletic director Don Harnum said. “After speaking to numerous individuals with strong knowledge in women’s basketball coaching circles and interviewing several impressive candidates, I am confident we found what we were looking for in Jackie Hartzell. She has a proven track record of supporting student-athlete development, both academically and athletically, while creating a positive environment that produces winning results.” Hartzell’s time at Arcadia came after a successful eight-season run as head coach at the now-defunct University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, where she compiled a 185-57 (.765) record, going 123-28 (.815) against conference opponents, with three CACC Championships, five NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, and a trip to the Sweet 16 in 2018. “Great hire by Rider!” Villanova coach Denise Dillon said. “Jackie is a proven winner, whose dedication to player growth and development translates to success. With her leadership, she and her staff will recruit fierce competitors ready to make an immediate impact in the MAAC.” Added Drexel coach Amy Mallon: “I am so excited for Jackie to lead the Rider program. She has certainly has proven to be a winner on and off the court. Jackie’s attention to detail and ability to grow student-athletes to be the best they can be is a key to her overall success. This opportunity is well deserved and I wish her the best of luck on this next step in her basketball journey.” Jackie Hartzell was the MAC Coach of the Year this past season after guiding Arcadia University to a 17-9 record. Hartzell was named the head coach at Rider on Thursday. (Arcadia Athletics Photo) Rider parted way with longtime coach Lynn Milligan after 18 seasons last month. Milligan won 83 of her 214 games over a four-year period from 2016-20, including an NCAA qualifier banner for the 2019-20 season, but the program never recaptured those highs and hasn’t won more than 10 games in any of the last five seasons. The Broncs are coming off a 7-22 campaign in which they went 5-15 in the MAAC and failed to qualify for the conference tournament. ...read more read less