Mary Kate Tierney is in her second year as an assistant coach of the New York University women’s basketball team and aids in all facets of the program
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Last season, Tierney helped guide NYU to their fourth consecutive winning season as the team finished with a 14-13 overall record, including a 3-11 mark in the ultra-competitive University Athletic Association (UAA). The Violets received an invitation to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament and defeated Marywood University in the first round (74-49).
Under Tierney’s coaching, team members garnered numerous athletic and academic accolades and entered their names into the Violet record book in 2016-17.
Senior Amy Harioka and freshman Shaye McGoey were named Honorable Mention All-UAA, while Harioka also was named Third Team All-Met. Freshman Lauren Brown and senior Kaitlyn Read were named to the NYU Tip-Off All-Classic Team, while Read earned Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Player of the Week on December 6.
Read and Harioka became the 15th and 16th Violet players, respectively, to reach the 1,000-point mark. Read recorded the eighth-most points (1,253), third-most steals (291), and highest three-pointer percentage (38.8%) in school history, while Harioka graduated with the second-highest three-point percentage (37.3%) and the best free throw percentage (82.1%).
Both senior captains excelled in the classroom as well, being named to the UAA Winter Sport All-Academic team and the IAAC Fall Honor Roll while earning NYU’s Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award.
In total, six team members earned UAA Winter Sport All-Academic honors, while Harioka and Pyatt received the Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award.
Tierney joined the staff after two years as an assistant coach at Dickinson College. In her final season, she helped lead the Red Devils to their first Centennial Conference Tournament appearance since 2010.
A 2014 graduate of Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration, Tierney was a three-year member of the Bombers’ women’s basketball team and produced one of the most impressive careers in team history.
While at Ithaca, Tierney became the program’s fifth WBCA (Women’s Basketball Coaches Association) All-American, earning Honorable Mention as a senior. She was also named to the D3hoops.com All-East Region Second Team, was selected MVP of the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament and earned First Team All-Empire 8 recognition. During her senior year, Tierney set an Ithaca school record with 72 three-pointers and recorded a triple-double (14 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) vs. Amherst College to help the Bombers win their first-ever NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game.
Tierney, who was raised in Rochester, NY, resides in Manhattan.
