Shannon Smith, the all-time wins leader at Hofstra, will step down from her role after 14 seasons as head coach, the university announced Friday. She won 112 games with the Pride.
A national search for her replacement has begun, but Smith will stay on as the head coach until that person is found. Smith is leaving college coaching to transition into executive leadership as the chief operating officer at Wardroom Partners, an alternative investment platform. She will continue coaching on the club scene with the Long Island Top Guns.
Smith led Hofstra to an at-large NCAA tournament berth in 2021, the first for the program since 2001, and has coached two of the most transformational players in program history — Alyssa Parrella and Nikki Mennella.
Smith was the CAA coach of the year in 2026 after leading Hofstra to a 10-win season and a 6-1 conference mark. She guided the Pride to 12 victories and an appearance in the CAA championship game in 2019 and led Hofstra to an 11-win campaign and the CAA regular season title in 2015 after a 6-0 conference season.
Of course, came to Hofstra after a standout playing career at Northwestern during which she won three national championships and was a three-time first-team All-American. She won the 2011 Tewaaraton Award.
