Karen Pinkos was named the eighth head coach in the history of Southern New Hampshire University women's basketball on May 5, 2005.

A 1988 graduate of the University of New Hampshire, Pinkos spent nine years as an assistant at Northeastern University prior to accepting the position at SNHU and owns over 16 years of Division I coaching experience.

In her first eight seasons, Pinkos, a native of Allenstown, N.H., has led the Penmen to six Northeast-10 Tournament appearances, the first six in the history of the program.  SNHU appeared in five straight NE-10 Tournaments from 2008-12, and advanced to the quarterfinals in 2009, 2011 and 2012.

The 2012-13 season saw Pinkos win her 100th career game against Southern Connecticut State University.  Sloane Sorrell became the first two-time Northeast-10 All-Conference selection for the Penmen as she garnered Third Team honors.

In 2011-12, the Penmen posted a 19-10 mark, the program's best season since 1990-91.  SNHU was ranked regionally and also garnered votes in the WBCA Division II Top 25.  Senior Christine Duffy led all three NCAA divisions in assists per game, while Duffy and Sloane Sorrell were each named Northeast-10 All-Conference.

In 2008-09, SNHU recorded an 18-11 record and posted its first NE-10 Tournament win over Le Moyne.  The Penmen were ranked in the top 10 in the East Region for much of the season. 

In 2009-10 the Penmen had two Northeast-10 All-Conference selections as well as a selection to the league's All-Rookie Team while once again reaching the conference tournament.

Pinkos began her coaching career at the University of New Hampshire and also served as an assistant at Boston College and Providence College, before joining the coaching staff at Northeastern in 1996. She helped Providence to a share of the Big East 7 title in 1996.

Recognized as one of the nation's top assistant coaches by Women's Basketball Journal in 2000, she helped guide Northeastern to an America East title and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999.

Her recruiting success stories at Northeastern included six all-rookie team selections, and she helped develop six all-conference performers.

Pinkos was a four-year member of the women's basketball team at New Hampshire and served as a team captain her junior and senior year. She collected first-team all-conference honors as senior after guiding the Wildcats to a 19-win season, and still ranks high among the program's all-time leaders in career assists. She went on to play professionally in Germany after earning her bachelor's degree in leisure management and tourism.

Pinkos was an all-state performer at Pembroke Academy and participated in the New Hampshire/Vermont Alhambra All-Star game following her senior year. She was inducted into the Pembroke Academy Hall of Fame in the summer of 2006.

Mandy Pennewell joined the SNHU women's basketball coaching staff in May, 2013.

“Mandy brings a wealth of NE-10 experience to our staff.  Being at Le Moyne the past four years, she knows the conference well, recognizes the type of players we need and is a fierce competitor,” said SNHU head coach Karen Pinkos upon her hiring.  “Mandy and I have had numerous conversations about the type of players we need and want to play here at Southern New Hampshire University to help take us to the next level.  I am confident that Mandy will have an immediate impact on our program.”

Pennewell, a West Chester, Pa. native, is no stranger to the Northeast-10, spending four seasons (2009-13) as an assistant coach at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y.  In 2012-13, she served as the team’s acting head coach for the final eight games and into the team’s offseason activities.

Pennewell was a four-year standout at Quinnipiac University, graduating in 2009 with a degree in Sociology.   A three-year starter for the Bobcats, Pennewell earned Northeast Conference Second Team honors as a junior after averaging 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game and helping to lead Quinnipiac to a 25-6 record and a WNIT appearance.  A two-year captain, she wrapped up her career 12^th in career scoring at the Hamden, Conn. school and currently sits 14^th all-time with 1,231 career points.

As a senior at Villa Maria Academy (Malvern, Pa.) Pennewell was a First Team All-State selection, and over her high school career she led the school to a State Eastern final, two league championships, three district championships and four state tournament appearances.

Brooke Lefort, a former two-sport athlete at SNHU, enters her third season as an assistant coach with the women’s basketball program.

Lefort was a member of the women’s basketball program from 2005-09.  After walking onto the team as a sophomore, she appeared in 97 games and averaged 4.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game over her final three seasons.  On the Penmen volleyball team, of which she was a member from 2004-07, Lefort served as team captain as a senior and wrapped up her career among the program leaders in kills (602) and blocks (216).

In 2009-10, Lefort served as head JV girls basketball coach and assistant varsity coach at Goffstown High School.  She also has experience as an AAU assistant with the New Hampshire Shooting Stars U16 team.  A native of Cumberland, R.I., Lefort was an All-State performer in both basketball and volleyball at Cumberland High School.

Lefort earned her bachelors’ degree at SNHU in Elementary Education while minoring in history in 2008 and recently completed her masters in Curriculum and Instruction at SNHU.  She is currently a teacher in the Hooksett School District at Hooksett Memorial School.

Joe Fremeau enters his first year on the SNHU women's basketball staff in 2012-13.

A Manchester native, Fremeau was a four-year member of the men's basketball team at Bentley University from 2007-11.  He started every game for the Falcons over his final two seasons and averaged 4.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game over 108 career contests.  Bentley reached at least the East Region final in each of his four seasons and advanced to the Division II Final four in his freshman and junior campaigns.  Over Fremeau's four years the Falcons posted a 110-23 record.  He also served as a men's basketball representative to the Bentley Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

In 2011-12, Fremeau served as an assistant coach with the boy's basketball program at his alma mater, Manchester Central HS.  He has also served as a counselor at numerous summer basketball camps, including camps run by NBA veteran Matt Bonner. 

A 2006 graduate of Central, Fremeau led the Little Green to back-to-back Class L state championships as a junior and senior and was an All-State selection.  He also spent a postgrad year at The Tilton School, one of the top prep school basketball programs in the country.

Fremeau graduate from Bentley in 2011 with a degree in Business Management.

Jennifer Fithian joined the SNHU women's basketball coaching staff prior to the 2012-13 academic year.

A native of Bow, N.H., Fithian played four years of basketball at Division I Binghamton University from 2002-06.  A two-year captain for the Bearcats, she averaged 8.6 points per game over her final two seasons and led Binghamton to the America East semifinals as a senior.  Fithian served as the team representative to the BU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Most recently, Fithian has been competing in team handball.  As a member of the USA Women's National Team from 2006-12, she served as a team captain and competed in the 2011 Pan-Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, while Fithian also played professionally in Germany for TV Mainz from 2009-12.

A graduate of Bow (N.H.) High School, the former Jen Haubrich was Miss New Hampshire Basketball in 2002 to cap off a standout career with the Falcons.  Fithian graduated from Binghamton in 2006 with a degree in Financial Economics, and currently resides in Bow.