Release courtesy of St. Thomas Aquinas College Sports Information
Sparkill, NY – If there was one moment in time that defined Kristen Sullivan’s amazing collegiate coaching career it was sometime on March 23, 2022.
Her team had just been swept in a non-conference doubleheader with Adelphi. The Spartans failed to reach base safely in both games as Adelphi pitchers had thrown back-to-back perfect games. With a record of 4-11 and set to face East Region powers University of Bridgeport and Caldwell University in their next four games, the Spartans’ season was hanging in the balance.
Remarkably, Sullivan’s team regrouped and mounted a comeback for the ages.
Over the next five days, they swept the doubleheaders from Bridgeport and Caldwell and never looked back. They set a new school record for wins with 28 and won their first-ever East Coast Conference regular season championship. Since the historic Adelphi sweep, STAC has compiled a 91-53 record and established itself as one of the premier NCAA Div. II programs in the Northeast.
Sullivan’s ability to rally her players in the face of adversity is just one of the many traits that have helped her earn 300 career collegiate wins. Her leadership, expertise and passion have transformed the program into the ECC’s gold standard of excellence.
"We want to congratulate Coach Sullivan on her 300th win," said St. Thomas Aquinas College Director of Athletics Margaret Alaimo. "Our athletic department and campus community are grateful for Kristen’s commitment to excellence on the field and in the classroom. This is a tremendous accomplishment and we are also proud of the student-athletes and assistant coaches that have been a part of this program and played a role on this journey with her to 300."
All of this softball success seemed quite improbable when Sullivan took over the program in 2015 after the team had logged a 2-38 record in the prior season. Her work to rebuild the program has been extraordinary. Using an aggressive offensive style that emphasizes baserunning and bunting coupled with the ability to develop top pitchers, Sullivan has lifted the Spartans to unparalleled heights of success.
Last season was the most successful campaign in the 44-year history of the program. The Spartans set a single-season record for wins with 33, captured its second consecutive East Coast Conference championship and reached the semifinal round of the NCAA East Regional. In 2023, the Spartans won their first ECC championship and set the previous single-season record with 32 wins.
For her outstanding work, Sullivan has been named the ECC Coach of the Year for the last three seasons.
“Winning 300 games is a reflection of the dedication, time, and effort that Coach Sullivan has invested in our program,” said Tara Hagan, who played four years at STAC and now serves as an assistant coach. “Coach is the heart and soul of this program and her leadership has inspired countless athletes, including myself. I feel blessed to have played for her.”
Sullivan has played a role in the college’s softball program for parts of four decades and also rates as one of the college’s finest all-time players. After excelling at nearby Suffern High School, she came to STAC as the program’s most prized recruit and proceeded to register a brilliant four years as a pitcher and first baseman. Her play for the Lady Spartans was nothing short of sensational. She pitched an amazing five no-hitters and the only perfect game in STAC softball history.
Her coaching career began immediately after graduation in 1990 when she served as the team’s assistant coach. She became the co-head coach in 1997 and was named the Central Athletic Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year in 1998. In 1999, Sullivan took time off from coaching to start a family and later returned as the pitching coach for the Lady Spartans in 2011 before moving into the head coach role again in 2015.
Sullivan's remarkable softball career has earned inductions into four Hall of Fames – Suffern High School Hall of Fame, Rockland County Softball Hall of Fame, Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame and the St. Thomas Aquinas College Alumni Hall of Fame.