MASON CITY – NIACC has hired Todd Ciochetto as its sixth women’s basketball coach.
Ciochetto replaces Kelli Terrell, who left NIACC after three seasons to become an assistant women’s coach at Grand View University in Des Moines. Terrell accumulated a record of 64-35 at NIACC, including a 34-3 mark in the 2013-14 season.
“We are excited to announce that Todd Ciochetto has accepted the head women’s basketball coaching position here at the college,” NIACC athletic director Dan Mason said. “Todd has done an outstanding job as an assistant in our program over the last three years.
“Coach Ciochetto has a love for the game and a passion for student development, those traits will serve him well has he assumes the leadership position for NIACC women’s basketball.”
Ciochetto, who is originally from Chisholm, Minn., was an assistant under Terrell for the last three seasons and help guide the Lady Trojans to a third-place finish at the NJCAA Division II national tournament in the 2013-14 season.
“I’m very exicited,” he said. “Obviously, we’ve been going in a positive direction in the last three years and I’m looking forward to continuing that trend to, hopefully, a national championship.”
NIACC returns five players from last year’s team that played in the national tournament for the first time in 20 years. Returning for the Lady Trojans will be Alexis Boyd-Lockett, Sierra Ford-Washington, Ashleigh Onaca, A’Chieyah Sanders and Diamond Miller.
“We also have 11 new players so we will have 16 players again,” Ciochetto said. “We look forward to the same kind of style – up-tempo and pressing.”
Before coming to NIACC, Ciochetto was the head boys basketball coach at Nicollet High (Minn.) in the 2009-10 season where his team improved from nine wins the previous season to a 16-9 mark.
Ciochetto said he’s ready to make the move to become a head coach at the collegiate level.
“Kelli and I worked very well together,” Ciochetto said. “Obviously, we’re going to miss Kelli, but I love basketball and am very excited about the opportunity.”
NIACC women’s basketball coaching history
Curt Riedel (1973-78) 97-45
Marilyn Pearson (1978-80) 43-14
Gary Mekelburg (1980-1984) 66-32
John Oertel (1984-2011) 444-375
Kelli Terrell (2011-14) 64-35
Combined record – 714-501.
