Mandy Pennewell begins her third season as the assistant coach of the Northeastern women’s basketball team, having joined the program in July 2018. Since graduating from Quinnipiac – where she was a four-year letterwinner, two-year captain, and 1,000-point scorer – she has served on the coaching staffs at Le Moyne, Southern New Hampshire and Iona.
At Northeastern, Pennewell has primarily assisted in the growth of the Huskies' guards, helping guide NU to the 2019 WNIT during the program's third 20-win season to date. Along the way, she has mentored two 1,000-point scoring guards in Jess Genco and Shannon Todd, witnessing Genco win 2018-19 CAA statistical championships in scoring, assists and free throw percentage.
As the women’s basketball recruiting coordinator at Iona for three seasons, Pennewell organized all recruiting activities for the Gaels, evaluating student-athletes year-round on the high school and AAU circuits to identify those who best fit the program’s needs. Specializing with the team’s guards, she monitored player development plans while assisting more broadly with the implementation of defensive strategies and philosophy.
During the 2015-16 season, Pennewell helped lead Iona to its first-ever MAAC championship and NCAA tournament appearance, co-directing the Gaels to 23 wins and the upset of her top-seeded alma mater, Quinnipiac, during the league title game. She aided in the development of junior guard Marina Lizarazu, who collected All-MAAC First Team, MAAC All-Tournament Team, and postseason Most Outstanding Player honors.
Before coaching at Iona, Pennewell headed women’s basketball recruiting efforts for two seasons at Southern New Hampshire, where she earned her master’s degree in sports management and athletic administration in April 2015.
From 2009 to 2013, she was the assistant coach of the Le Moyne women’s basketball team, serving as the ‘stand-in’ head coach during the conclusion of the 2012-13 season.
Pennewell earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2009 from Quinnipiac, where she was a four-year letterwinner and two-year captain on the Bobcats’ women’s basketball team. She is a member of Quinnipiac’s 1,000-point scoring club (1,231) and ranks among the program’s all-time greats in 3-point field goals made (175) and 3-point field goal percentage (34.9). During the 2007-08 season, Pennewell was named to the All-NEC Second Team, helping power the Bobcats to 25 wins and an appearance in the WNIT.
