Pace University Women's Softball

Claudia Stabile has been at the helm of the Pace University softball team since 1982, leading the Setters to 918 wins during that time. Now entering her 46th season in 2027, Stabile is the longest-tenured active head coach across all NCAA Divisions. In addition to her softball coaching duties, Stabile recently completed her tenth year as the Associate Athletic Director for Student Services and Success, as well as the Senior Women’s Administrator. In a career that has seen great success for more than four decades, Stabile may have put together her greatest accomplishments most recently. Over the last ten full seasons, Stabile has led the Blue and Gold to seven NCAA bids, two Northeast-10 Conference Championships, and more than 250 victories. Last season, coach Stabile won her 900th career game on March 21st, 2026, against Saint Michael's College. Most recently, in the 2025 campaign, the Setters achieved their most accomplished season in program history, setting multiple records and making a historic run to the Final Four in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship in Chattanooga, TN. Under the guidance of Stabile, Pace set new program records for single-season (48), conference wins (20), and consecutive wins (27) while winning both the NCAA East Regional and Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. In their remarkable season, the Setters secured their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Softball Championship, where they advanced to the quarterfinal round as a final four team in the country. In the 2024 season, the Blue and Gold put together a 33-win season, which led the squad to a Northeast-10 Conference and NCAA East Regional appearance. The team earned one win in the East Regional in another successful season on the diamond. In 2023, Pace finished the season 26-22, returning to the NCAA East Regionals, winning one game during the tournament.  In 2019, the Blue and Gold ended the regular season with a 12-1 stretch to appear in their sixth straight NE10 Championship Tournament. Coach Stabile's team would go on to win two games in the postseason before falling in the semifinals. The Setters 2018 squad racked up 27 triumphs en route to earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Pace closed the regular season on a nine-game winning streak before advancing all the way to the NE10 Championship Game. The 2016 season also served as a banner campaign for Stabile as she was named the NE10 Coach of the Year after leading the Setters to their first-ever conference championship. En route to the title, the Setters put together a 26-16 regular season, including a 17-7 clip against league foes. After earning the right to host the NE10 Tournament, Pace defeated No. 3 Adelphi and top-seeded Southern New Hampshire to earn the school's first-ever conference championship. During the 2015 campaign, Stabile coached the team to a 25-17, 11-7 Southwest Division record after winning six of her final seven regular-season games to claim a NE-10 Playoff berth. Following the NE-10 Playoffs, the Setters earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division II Tournament. In 2014, Stabile turned in one of the finest coaching performances of her illustrious career. The Setters won 17 of their final 28 games and qualified for the Northeast-10 Conference tournament as the #3 seed in the Southwest Division. Pace earned six All-Conference accolades, including Shelby Yung pulling in Rookie of the Year honors. Yung was later recognized as a National Fastpitch Coach Association East Region First Team and a Daktronics All-East Region Second Team pick. Stabile has a long track record of success on the field and in the classroom. Coach Stabile’s teams have been strong academically, particularly in the past two years. The Softball team posted the highest grade point average in the 16-member Northeast-10 Conference and ranked among the leaders nationally the past two academic years. In 2010-11, softball was 25th in Division II in team GPA and moved up to third place in the nation during the 2011-12 year. She has also had five players named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team during her tenure as coach. On the field, Stabile has coached nearly 100 All-Conference players as well as two All-Americans, five Academic All-District selections, and 27 All-Region honorees. Her teams have seen success on the field as she guided her teams to back-to-back Hudson Valley Conference Titles in 1987 and 1988, as well as an ECAC Tournament Title in 2002 and an Empire State Conference title in 1989. The Setters advanced to the ECAC Division II championships in 1987, 1988, 1989, and won the title in 2002. A 1980 graduate of Fordham University, Stabile earned her Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and received her Master's Degree in Education Administration and Supervision.

Victor Penaloza was named the head coach of Pace Swimming and Diving in April of 2022. Penaloza has experience coaching swimming for over 24 years. His passion for coaching and the sport of swimming has allowed him to bring his swimmers to some of the highest levels of competitions in the sport, including Olympic trials, as well as more than 30 national-level swimmers. In addition to his duties in Pleasantville, Penaloza is currently the head coach of the nearby Patriot Swim Team located in Tarrytown, N.Y. A molder of more than 30 national-level swimmers, Penaloza helped guide both Pace squads to sixth-place finishes at the NE10 championships in 2022-23. He was also a member of the Setters' coaching staff during the men's team's best-ever finish of third place at the 2019 NE10 Championships. Additionally, coach Penaloza has celebrated a Diver of the Year honoree alongside several new school records in the women's 500 freestyle, men's 1M and 3M dive, and the women's 400 relay. Just as important as his Pace student-athletes successes in the water, a Setter swimmer, or diver has won the NE10 Elite 24 Award for the highest GPA in the conference every season that Penaloza has been with the program.  Personally, he is excited to be a father of his first child and plays pool and golf in his spare time.

John Elliott enters his fourth year as assistant coach of the Pace University softball team in 2027. In addition to his coaching duties with the softball team, Elliott is also the head coach of the women's cross country team. Overall, Elliott brings a vast knowledge of softball and cross country with over 19 years of coaching and team leadership experience. The Walden, N.Y. native comes to Pace with a long history of coaching dating back to his experience as the head coach of the Orange County Cyclones travel softball team from 2003 to 2016. While there, the Cyclones won over 30 tournament championships including the 2013 USSSA 16U New York State Championship. That year, the team ranked 8th nationally and in 2014 they claimed the USSSA 18U Connecticut State Championship. In his final year with the team, Elliott led the squad to the Big League East Regional Championship.  After 13 years at the helm of the Cyclones, Elliott became the assistant coach at Mount Saint Mary’s College (2015-21). During his time there, he helped win four straight Skyline Conference Championships including several NCAA tournament victories in both 2016 and 2018.  Following his six-year stint with Mount Saint Mary’s he moved on to assistant coaching at Montclair State University (2021-23). While there, Elliott was also the recruiting coordinator where he assessed team structure and devised recruiting strategies. Throughout his time as a university coach, Elliott holds a 188-133 record.   A 1999 graduate from Farleigh Dickinson University, Elliott earned his bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He spent twenty years as a police officer with four years in the New York City department (1999-03) and 16 years in the Ossining department (2003-19).  

Amber Neumann joined the women’s lacrosse staff officially in July of 2023. Neumann comes to Pace with previous coaching experience at Lincoln Memorial and East Stroudsburg University. At Lincoln Memorial, she was apart of a coaching staff that obtained the most successful season in program history in 2023 and coached three all-conference for the South Atlantic Conference. She was responsible for the game plan for the defensive unit and worked hands-on with the goalies to make sure their techniques and philosophies were well-equipped for games. Serving as a graduate assistant coach at East Stroudsburg from 2020-22, Neumann was apart of a staff that led ESU to the NCAA Division II National Championship in 2022 as Runners-Up and in 2021 as National Semifinalists. Additionally, East Stroudsburg won back-to-back Atlantic Regional titles and was the 2022 PSAC Conference Champion. In her two years with the Warriors, she assisted in the development of eight All-Americans and worked primarily as the goalie coach where she had a hand in mentoring a Second Team All-American goalie. She was a three-year starting goalkeeper at Georgian Court, where she was a part of three CACC Championship teams (2017, 2018, 2019). She left Georgian Court as the all-time leading saves record holder. She earned all-conference honors from 2017-2019 and was the 2017 CACC Tournament MVP and the 2019 CACC Goalkeeper of the Year. In 2019, she was an IWLCA DII Senior All-Star selection. In addition to her coaching duties at Lincoln Memorial and East Stroudsburg, she was also the head coach and head goalie coach with the Jersey Shore Select Lacrosse team. A Brick, N.J. native, Amber graduated from Georgian Court University in May 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics and secondary education. She completed her Master of Science in management and leadership in May 2022. Her concentration was in sports management and currently, she resides in Port Chester, N.Y.

Hello, Im Coach Nina Iturriaga. Im a former college softball player and now an assistant coach at Pace University. Ive been lucky to help our team make it to four straight NCAA D2 Regionals. And this past season, win our conference title in the NE-10, East Regional, First ever World Series appearance and a final four finish. I love working with athletes, especially catchers, and helping them grow both on and off the field. Im all about hard work, staying positive, and building a strong team culture. My goal is to help players become confident, mentally tough, and ready for whatever comes next, whether its in softball or life.

Edwards returns as the Assistant Softball Coach under Head Coach Claudia Stabiles staff after previously serving as an assistant coach from 2004-10. He will work with the pitching staff and outfielders this season.   Edwards comes to Pace with a long history of coaching in the area.  He was the head softball coach at Dutchess Community College for 10 years and led the Falcons to national and regional prominence. Under Edwards, the Falcons competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Nationals in 1992 and in nine NJCAA Regional Tournaments from 1992-96 and again from 1998-2001. Coach Edwards overall college record is 198-71. He also spent time as an assistant coach at Manhattan College. Edwards founded the Hudson Valley Express (HVE) Travel Softball Program in 1990 and currently serves as its president. He also opened BATS Diamond Sports Training Center in 1995. Coach Edwards was inducted into the Dutchess County Fast Pitch Hall of Fame in 1997 for his accomplishments and contributions towards the development, continuation and advancement of Fast Pitch Softball.

Dan Ho was named assistant coach of the men's and women's swimming and diving team prior to the 2022-23 season. The Saint Augustine, FL. native brings a lifetime of swimming knowledge to the program. Ho swam for The Bolles School Sharks and Planet Swim Aquatics out of Jacksonville, FL. competing at local, regional, state, and sectional level meets, with his primary stroke being Distance and Open Water Swimming. Dan competed collegiately at Pace University from 2018 to 2022 where he graduated with his B.S. in Neuroscience. While at Pace, Dan was captain and part of a historic team, helping the Setters to a 3rd-place overall finish in the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. Now, Dan is heading into his third season as the Assistant Coach where he focuses primarily on the distance and 400 individual medley group.

Dylan Korn is in his ninth year as the Diving Coach for Pace University's Swimming and Diving team. Dylan competed at the local, regional, and national levels, finishing his diving career at Rider University. He still holds diving records in the MAAC conference on the 3-meter springboard event and was named “MAAC Diver of the Year” 3 consecutive years as well as “ECAC Diver of the meet” in 2005.    In 2008, Dylan graduated from Rider with a B.A. in Communications and currently does freelance video production. In conjunction with production, Dylan has been the Co-Head Diving Coach for the Marlins Diving Club at the YMCA of Greenwich for the past 6 years. Before arriving at the Marlins Diving Club in 2009, Dylan successfully coached in the Westchester and Fairfield Country Summer League.