Shenandoah University Women's Basketball

Melissa (Kraft) Smeltzer-Kraft became the 11th head coach in SU women's basketball history with her appointment to the position in June 2014. Smeltzer-Kraft, who graduated in 2007 from Drew (N.J.) University with a degree in history, originally came to Shenandoah in July 2013 to be the Hornets' lead assistant coach. In 2019, Smeltzer-Kraft led the Hornets to their first-ever ODAC Championship, defeating Washington & Lee University, 63-53, in the championship game, becoming the first 8 seed to claim the title. The Hornets returned to the ODAC Championship during the 2021-22 season and defeated Randolph-Macon, 56-43, to claim the program’s second conference title. The 2021-22 season marked the beginning of a three-year stretch where Smeltzer-Kraft led Shenandoah to the conference championship game for three consecutive seasons. In 2023-24, SU gained its first at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Hornets traveled to the Smith College pod and played Messiah University in the first round. On January 11, 2023, Smeltzer-Kraft reached 100 career wins in a 79-42 ODAC victory at home against Virginia Wesleyan. During the 2021-22 season, Shenandoah earned two major ODAC awards, with Sierra St. Cyr earning Player of the Year and Olivia Weinel winning the conference’s Marjorie Berkley Award. Following the 2024-25 season, the Hornets claimed another major award with Terese Greene earning All-America honors by D3hoops.com, becoming the program’s first All-American since 2000. Smeltzer-Kraft was inducted into the Drew (N.J.) University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017. The Hornets’ head coach was a two-sport athlete at Drew, playing basketball and softball during her time with the Rangers. Smeltzer-Kraft, and her wife, Ashley Smeltzer-Kraft, were married in July 2014. Ashley Smeltzer-Kraft is the Hornets head field hockey coach and associate athletic director The couple are parents of two sons, Welles and Warner.   Year Overall ODAC Place Postseason Notes 2014-15 8-18 4-12 9th 0-1 2015-16 7-19 4-12 10th 0-1 2016-17 6-21 2-14 1-1 2017-18 12-15 7-9 9th 1-1 2018-19 16-14 8-10 8th 4-1 ODAC Champions, NCAA Tournament Berth 2019-20 16-10 12-6 5th 0-1 2020-21 4-7 3-5 5th 0-1 2021-22 22-6 13-5 4th 3-1 ODAC Champions, NCAA Tournament Berth 2022-23 19-10 11-7 7th 3-1 2023-24 21-8 14-4 2nd 2-2 NCAA Tournament Berth 2024-25 17-10 11-5 4th 1-1 2025-26 20-8 11-5 4th 1-2 NCAA Tournament Berth Total 168-146 100-94 16-14 ###

Torie Eggers joined the coaching staff as an Assistant Women's Basketball Coach in the summer of 2026. She brings a wealth of leadership, recruiting expertise, and a deep passion for student-athlete development across the collegiate, high school, and AAU levels. Eggers comes to Shenandoah after a 3 season stint as the assistant women's basketball coach at Rowan University, where she served as a primary driving force behind program talent evaluation and recruiting efforts, overseeing prospect camps, managing player visits, and maintaining vital communication networks. On the court, she works closely with the head coach to implement offensive and defensive systems, design daily practice plans, and head up critical game planning through film breakdown and scouting. Off the court, Eggers champions student-athlete success by directing academic support systems, tracking student progress, and managing study hall opportunities. Modernizing the program's back-end operations, she is highly proficient in industry-leading athletic technologies, including the NCAA Transfer Portal, Synergy, Fast Scout, Hudl, and Teamworks. Beyond her collegiate duties, Eggers serves as the Women’s Program Director and Coach for Crispin Basketball, where she oversees AAU program operations, logistical frameworks, fundraising initiatives, and player development clinics. Her previous coaching stops include impactful terms as the Varsity Assistant at Gloucester Catholic High School—where she helped guide the team to conference and division titles—and as the Head Freshman Coach at Washington Township High School. She also spent four years mentoring young athletes with the Mid Atlantic Heat AAU program and gained foundational tournament operations experience as an intern with the prestigious Hoop Group. Committed to continuous professional growth, Eggers recently attended the Head Coach Training Center Coaches Convention in Orlando, Florida. Eggers boasts an exceptional background as a former NCAA Division II student-athlete at Nyack College (Alliance University), where she competed as a three-sport athlete in basketball, lacrosse, and track & field from 2016 to 2020. Demonstrating early leadership capabilities, she also served as her institution's CACC SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) representative. Eggers graduated from Nyack College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a background she leverages daily to mentor young athletes in both skill and character development.

Former Division II standout Elsebeth Birman rejoined the Shenandoah women’s basketball staff in 2025 as Director of Player Development, after previously serving as an assistant coach from 2016–2022. Birman played collegiately at both the University of the Sciences (Pa.) and the University of Bridgeport (Conn.), competing two seasons at each institution. She arrived at Shenandoah in the fall of 2016 following a stint as an assistant coach with the Northwest High School girls basketball program in Germantown, Maryland. In July 2019, Birman was promoted to a full-time assistant coaching position by head coach Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft after three seasons in a part-time role. Her impact was recognized nationally in March 2021, when she was named the WBCA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year. A strong advocate for academic and personal development, Birman earned All-Academic honors in all four years of her collegiate career and graduated magna cum laude. She began her coaching journey in 2009 with the Germantown (MD) Lady Panthers. In 2015–16, she served as commissioner of the program’s grassroots division (grades 4–8). During this period, she also worked as a graduate assistant at the University of the Sciences for two years following the completion of her undergraduate studies in 2013. Birman is the founder of Hoops Through Life, an organization dedicated to helping female athletes navigate challenges, build confidence, and become the best versions of themselves both on and off the court and field.