The College of New Jersey Women's Basketball

Entering Ninth Year as TCNJ Head Coach in 2025-26 Alma Mater: Williams College '11 Hometown: Goleta, Calif. Education: B.A. Political Science; M.S. Exercise and Sports Studies, Smith College AWARDS AND HONORS 3-time NJAC Coach of the Year (2018, 2022, 2024) D3hoops.com Atlantic Region Coach of the Year (2018) Chessie Jackson enters her ninth year as TCNJ women's basketball head coach in 2025-26. The Lions have become a force in the New Jersey Athletic Conference under Jackson's leadership, advancing to five NJAC Championship games and winning one conference title during her tenure. She is a three-time NJAC Coach of the Year (2018, 2022, 2024), the 2017-18 D3hoops.com Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, has coached 22 All-Conference selections – including four major award winners – and has guided TCNJ to two NCAA Tournament appearances (2018, 2026). Jackson's Lions made their long-awaited return to the top of the NJAC during the 2025-26 season, winning the program's fifth conference championship and first since 2008-09 to earn the NJAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The title run – Jackson's first – was capped off by a dominant performance against 23rd-ranked William Paterson in which TCNJ won 78-55, marking the Lions' first win over a ranked opponent since beating 22nd-ranked Montclair State in 2017-18. Amanda Baylock and Katie Fricker both earned All-Conference selections, marking the eighth time in nine seasons TCNJ has had multiple All-NJAC honorees under Jackson. The Lions enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in 2024-25, finishing 21-6 with a 16-2 mark in NJAC play before narrowly falling to Montclair State in the conference championship. Nina Branchizio was named a Third Team CSC Academic All-American – the program's third overall and second coached by Jackson – and became the program's fourth NJAC Player of the Year. Grace Kowalski and Fricker joined Branchizio on the All-Conference teams. Jackson reeled in her third and most recent NJAC Coach of the Year honor following the 2023-24 campaign in which she led TCNJ to an 18-9 record and a third conference championship game. The Lions were the only program to have three student-athletes earn All-NJAC recognition in four-time honoree Julia Setaro, Branchizio and Kowalski. One year earlier Jackson's charges made a sixth straight trip to the NJAC semifinals in 2022-2023, taking top-seeded New Jersey City to overtime on the road before coming up just short to end their season with a 17-10 overall record. Setaro earned a third straight All-Conference Second Team nod while Branchizio made her debut with an Honorable Mention selection. The Lions went on an exhilarating postseason run during the 2021-22 campaign, advancing all the way to the NJAC Championship game as the No. 8 seed before falling to New Jersey City, 58-52. Setaro was named to the All-NJAC Second Team, her second straight all-conference nod.  Jackson coached TCNJ to a 9-1 record in the 2021 season, when the Lions advanced to the NJAC Semifinals for the fourth consecutive season. She coached Shannon Devitt to WBCA First Team All-America honors, which marked the first All-American for the program since Hillary Klimowicz in 2008-09. Devitt was also named D3hoops.com Second Team All-Atlantic Region, NJAC Defensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-NJAC. Jackson led three of her players to All-NJAC honors in Devitt, Setaro, and Elle Cimilluca. In her first season, Jackson led the Lions to 22 wins and the team's first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2008-09 season.  Jackson came to TCNJ from Princeton University, where she served as assistant basketball coach for the Tigers since June of 2015. She has also been an assistant coach at Smith College and the University of Rochester, following her playing career at Williams College.   While serving on the coaching staff at Princeton, Jackson assisted with recruiting, scouting, on-court skill sessions, and daily administrative duties. The Tigers enjoyed a historic season in 2015-16, compiling a record of 23-6 and becoming the first Ivy League basketball program to receive an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.    At Smith College, Jackson was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, while also serving on the Athletics Leadership Development Program. She also coordinated recruiting at the University of Rochester along with her coaching responsibilities.   Jackson was a four-year starter at Williams College and was named captain her senior year. She ranks fourth all-time in program history in points (1,346) and ninth in rebounding (635). Jackson was a first-team All-NESCAC selection in 2010-11 and was also named Williams College Women’s Basketball Most Valuable Player. The Ephs made two NCAA appearances during her tenure and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen her junior season.   After graduating with a bachelor of arts in political science with a concentration in leadership studies, Jackson became a graduate assistant coach at Smith College, where she earned her master’s of science in exercise and sports studies.   Jackson hails from Goleta, California where she attended Dos Pueblos High School. Follow TCNJ Women's Basketball on Social Media Twitter: @TCNJWB Instagram: @tcnjwbb   Overall NJAC Postseason Year     Wins Losses Pct. Wins Losses Pct. 2017-18        22    7 .759   15    3 .833 NJAC Finals / NCAA Second Round 2018-19        17    9 .654   15    3 .833 NJAC Semifinals 2019-20    16   11 .593   12    6 .667 NJAC Semifinals 2020-21     9    1 .900    8    0 1.000 NJAC Semifinals 2021-22    14   13 .519    8   10 .444 NJAC Finals 2022-23    17   10 .630   11    7 .611 NJAC Semifinals 2023-24    18    9 .667   14    4 .778 NJAC Finals 2024-25    21    6 .778   16    2 .889 NJAC Finals 2025-26    17     11 .607   14    4 .778 NJAC Champions / NCAA First Round TOTAL             151   77 .662   113   39 .743 1 NJAC Championship, 2 NCAA Appearances

Jaclyn Feit returns to TCNJ as a graduate assistant for the 2025-26 campaign. Feit played the 2024-25 season as a graduate student for the Lions, averaging 8.2 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in 11 appearances (six starts) after missing much of the regular season due to injury. She also racked up 30 blocks, an average of nearly three per game.  Feit played her undergraduate basketball at Franklin & Marshall, where she scored 598 points and grabbed 435 rebounds in 72 games. A two-year starter, she was also a three-time member of the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll. Feit blocked 192 shots in her three seasons with the program, good for fourth in school history, and twice ranked second in the Centennial in rejections. 

Entering 11th season as TCNJ assistant coach in 2025-26 Alma Mater: TCNJ '00 Hometown: Robbinsville, NJ Walker returned to TCNJ as the full-time assistant of the men's and women's cross country and track and field programs in the Fall of 2015 after a standout running career for the Lions. Walker helped coach the Lions to three NJAC Championships in the 2021 season. The women’s & men’s cross-country team each won the conference title, and the women’s track & field team also took home the outdoor championship. Walker coached Salini Iyer to the individual championship in the women’s cross country championship meet. She also earned NJAC Runner and Rookie of the Year honors. In the Fall of 2019, Walker helped guide Robert Abrams to a first place finish at the NJAC Cross Country Championships on his way to earning NJAC Runner of the Year honors. Abrams would go on to earn All-America honors in the mile during the 2019-20 indoor track and field season. In the Fall of 2018, Walker helped lead the TCNJ men's and women's cross country teams each to the NJAC Championship. The women's team went on to qualify for and compete in the NCAA Division III Championships. The Lions placed 19th as a team, which is the program's highest finish at Nationals in 10 seasons. Natalie Cooper finished eighth out of 279 runners which is the highest for TCNJ in 20 years. She earned her second consecutive All-America honor with that finish. Walker also assisted Cooper in achieving All-America honors in indoor track & field in the 3,000 meter. He also helped guide the women's track & field team to the NJAC Championship in the indoor season for the second straight year. Prior to his arrival in Ewing, Walker was the head coach for cross country and track and field programs at Robbinsville High School from the fall of 2008 through the spring of 2014. He led the girl's spring track and field team to a state championship in 2008 and followed with a state title in the fall of 2008 with the girl's cross country program. Walker also led the boy's cross country team to a state championship in 2009. As a student-athlete at TCNJ, Walker was a three-time national qualifier. The former captain advanced to the NCAA championships with the Lions' cross country squad in 1998 and as an individual in 1999. Walker qualified for nationals in the 10,000-meter event in the spring of 2000 track and field season. He held three program records at graduation (8k course, DMR indoor relay, and 10,000 meters) and also won the three individual New Jersey Athletic Conference titles - 1998 and 1998 cross country champion and 1999 outdoor track 5,000-meter champion. Walker currently resides in Ewing with his wife Karen, who was an assistant coach cross country and track coach at TCNJ from 2004-2008. They have three children, Teagan, Elizabeth, and Iain. Walker '00 feature