Vassar College Women's Soccer

Nku Patrick ws named the inaugural Betty Richey Head Coach for Men's and Women's Squash on May 20, 2025.  A seasoned coach and former top-level player, Patrick most recently led Northeastern University's club squash teams from 2020 to 2025, overseeing recruitment, training, and player development. He has also served as the Middle and High School Coordinator at SquashBusters Boston since 2019, where he introduced the sport to students across Boston Public Schools and developed structured training for new and experienced players alike. Previously, Patrick coached with PPS Squash in Connecticut and assisted with US Squash at national competitions. As a player, Patrick competed at Trinity College, where he was a two-time national champion, Second Team All-NESCAC selection, and compiled a 55-2 career record. He represented Trinidad and Tobago as a seven-time National Junior Champion and reached a career-high ranking of #38 on the SDA Pro Tour. Patrick holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Trinity College and is a USA Squash Level I certified coach.

Simons was named the 13th head coach of the Vassar women's soccer program in June of 2021. The former Associate Head Coach at Wesleyan University, Simons came to Vassar following a two-year stint with the Cardinals. Through five seasons in Poughkeepsie, Simons has posted a 53-24-16 overall record and a 23-10-12 mark in Liberty League play. Simons has mentored 27 All-Liberty League selections, including Alice Crowley and Ava Holman who were named Liberty League Rookie of the Year in 2024 and 2025, 12 All-Region picks, two All-Americans and 19 Academic All-District selections. 2025 was a historic season for the Brewers, with Simons guiding Vassar to a 16-4 overall record, marking a program record for wins in a season. The Brewers won their first Liberty League regular season title with an 8-1 record and with 1-0 victories over Ithaca and RIT in the 2025 Liberty League Championship, earned the program's first ever conference crown, earning a return trip to the NCAA Tournament. Simons would headline the 2025 Liberty League and Region III Coaching Staff of the Year in 2025.  Lindsey Nihei was named the Championship Most Outstanding Performer for the Brewers and joined Panarelli, Riley McGrath and Rebecca Rodriguez as First Team All-Liberty League selections. Holman was tabbed Second Team All-League in 2025 with Sonya Franklin, Laura Shea and Cecelia Wager garnering Third Team accolades.  Panarelli went on to earn First Team All-Region III honors from the United Soccer Coaches and was made a Third Team All-American by the coaches association, the first for the program from the association and the second overall. Rodriguez and Nihei were tabbed Second Team All-Region and Holman earned a Third Team All-Region citation for the Brewers.  2024 saw Vassar post a 12-4-5 overall record and a 5-1-3 mark in Liberty League play. The Brewers topped Clarkson in the First Round of the Liberty League Championship, advancing to the semifinal round where it took on eventual National Runner-Up William Smith.  The Brewers won 12 games in a season for the first time since 2010 and earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament, making the program's second ever appearance in the event. Vassar scored a 1-0 win over St. Mary's-Mary in the First Round of the tournament, appearing in the Second Round for the first time in program history.  Crowley and Madison Bouggess were each named First Team All-Liberty League in 2024 with Noelle Namba and Wager earning Second Team recognition.  Nihei and  Rodriguez were honored with Third Team selections.  Crowley went on to the be named Second Team All-Region III with Bouggess and Namba collecting Fourth Team All-Region III honors.  2023 saw Vassar record an 8-4-5 overall record and a 2-2-5 mark in league play while posting victories over ranked opponents Scranton and Wesleyan, both by 2-1 scores. Individually, four players were honored with All-Liberty League honors, including a Second Team selection for Noelle Namba.  Six Brewers earned CSC Academic All-District honors in 2023 with Julia Farnham and Jessica Young each named United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-Region III.  In 2022, Vassar produced an 8-5-5 record under Simon's watch, including a 4-2-3 mark in conference play, earning a seventh straight berth into the Liberty League Championship. Five Brewers went on to earn All-Liberty League recognition, including First Team citations for both Violet Munnelley and Jessica Young.  Both Young and Munnelley would go on to earn All-Region selections from the United Soccer Coaches with Young adding a D3Soccer.com All-American selection,  CSC Academic All-Dstrict recognition and United Soccer Coaches Academic All-American honors.  In his first season at the helm of the Brewers, Simons guided Vassar to a 9-7-1 overall mark, going 4-4-1 in Liberty League play. The Brewers advanced to the Liberty League Tournament for the sixth straight season, shouldering a tough overtime loss to Union in the First Round. Vassar opened the season with victories over NYU and Montclair State. The Brewers opened Liberty League action with a 1-1-1 clip against RIT, Bard and Union, before going on to post several critical league wins - including a North Country sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence. Vassar, which finished fourth in the Liberty League in points (28g-20a-76pts), saw four named to the All-Liberty League Teams at season's end, including Second Team honors for senior Skylar Herrera-Ross and junior Jessica Young. Additional honors came for Young, who was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Third Team, while 20 Brewers were tabbed to the Liberty League All-Academic Team. Simons, who joined the Cardinals' staff in 2019, helped lead Wesleyan to one of the program's best seasons in recent memory as the squad achieved its best regular-season performance since 2011 with a 9-4-2 overall record and a 4-4-2 conference mark. Wesleyan set a new program record for longest unbeaten streak in a season with eight (6-0-2), surpassing the previous record of six that was set by the 1981 and 1993 teams. The Cardinals also won their third Little Three title and first since 1982. During that eight-game unbeaten streak, Wesleyan defeated the defending national champion and No. 1 ranked Williams, 2-1, at home and earned a national ranking, vaulting as high as No. 21 in the list. As noted, Simons served as a member of Wesleyan's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee where he was an accountability partner for a number of Cardinals' athletic teams. He assisted squads in planning, preparing and executing DEI training and education. As a member of the committee, he helped implement two DEI training events per team, enabled each team to engage with other squads for DEI conversations, while also preparing teams to participate in a community service event. Simons arrived at Wesleyan after previously serving as the head men's soccer coach at The Sage Colleges from 2016-18. His first season with the Gators proved to be very successful, as Simons guided the team back to the Skyline Conference Championship game, while coaching two Skyline Conference All-Star players. He followed his first year with a 10-6-2 overall record in 2017, en-route to the Empire 8 Conference Championship game. Prior to arriving at Sage, Simons was an assistant men's soccer coach at Liberty League-rival Skidmore College for three seasons, where he helped lead the Thoroughbreds to a 32-18-6 overall record. He also guided the team to the Liberty League Championship two times in his three years. During his tenure at Skidmore, the squad was recognized twice with NSCAA Team Academic Awards, while the 2015 team was ranked No. 22 in the nation. Simons was an assistant coach at Elmira for two seasons (2011 & 2012) before arriving at Skidmore, and also spent time as a volunteer assistant coach prior to that. A 2010 graduate of Manhattanville College, Simons was co-captain his senior year and received the college's Male Scholar Athlete of the Year award. He was a three-time Middle Athletic Conference All-Academic selection and was NSCAA Scholar All-East Region Honorable Mention in 2009. He earned his master's degree in general management from Elmira in 2013. Simons currently holds an NSCAA Premier Diploma, NSCAA Goalkeeping Level III Diploma and USSF National D License. Simons At Vassar  Year Record (Conf) Notes 2021 9-7-1 (4-4-1) Liberty League First Round 2022 8-5-5 (4-2-3) Liberty League First Round 2023 8-4-5 (2-2-5) -- 2024 12-4-5 (5-1-3) Liberty League Semifinal  At-Large Berth Into NCAA Tournament  Program's First Ever NCAA Victory (1-0 St. Mary's-MD) NCAA Second Round  2025 16-4-0 (8-1-0) Liberty League Regular Season Champions Liberty League Tournament Champions  NCAA First Round  Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year  United Soccer Coaches Region III Coaching Staff of the Year Single season program record for wins  Total 53-24-16 (23-10-12)

Jake McCormack completed his third season as an assistant coach with the Vassar Swimming and Diving programs in 2025-26.   McCormack had made an impact with the Brewers since arriving in Poughkeepsie, mentoring Addie Wiener who won the 500-yard freestyle four times in her career, including three under the guidance of McCormack.   McCormack has coached the 500-yard freestyle individual and 800-yard freestyle relay school records for the Vassar women since arriving and had a hand in 10 Men’s school records, including the individual 50 and 100-yard freestyle, 50 and 100-yard backstroke and the 50 and 100-yard butterfly.   Competing at SUNY Potsdam as an undergraduate, McCormack posted four top-16 times at the SUNYAC Championship in his career and was a two-time team captain. As a prep swimmer at nearby Poughkeepsie High School, McCormack was named Third Team All-League as a senior in 2018.   A 2022 graduate of Potsdam with a degree in Communications, McCormack competed his MBA in 2025.