ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Head coach Stefanie Pemper announced on Thursday the hiring of Kaitlyn Vican as an assistant coach for the Navy women's basketball team. Vican comes to Annapolis with prior experience on staff at St. Francis Brooklyn.
 
"Our entire staff is excited to have Kait on board and motivated by her presence," exclaimed Pemper. "She is a hard worker with a 'find a way' mentality that will serve NWB well. From our equipment manager to our strength coach to our faculty rep, we are all dedicated to the whole-person development of our women and our success working together, and Kait will fit in great. She wore a lot of hats on the staff at St. Francis and after taking a year off feels fortunate to get back to the game she loves at a world-class institution like Navy. As a player she experienced the highs of success and the challenges of injuries, and has a unique ability to mentor our players. We're excited to share some special memories with her."
 
Vican arrives in Annapolis after serving as an assistant coach at St. Francis Brooklyn for six seasons from June 2011 through May 2017. While on staff with the Terriers, Vican helped improve a 3-25 club in 2011-12 to an 11-win team in 2012-13 to a program-best 19-11 in 2013-14. The culmination of Vican and the Terriers' turnaround came in 2014-15 when the team appeared in its first-ever Northeast Conference Championship and defeated Robert Morris to secure the first NCAA Championship bid in program history.
 
Her specific responsibilities on staff at St. Francis Brooklyn included coaching post players, scouting, recruiting, travel coordination, alumni relations and social media management. Additionally, she played a leading role in mentoring and monitoring academic progress. During her tenure in Brooklyn Heights, the Terriers were consistently amongst the nation's leaders in cumulative GPA. Following the 2015-16 season, St. Francis Brooklyn placed first in the standings for the WBCA Division I Academic Top-25 Honor Roll with a 3.712 cumulative team GPA.
 
Before joining the coaching ranks, Vican played collegiate basketball first at Northwood University (NAIA) in West Palm Beach, Fla. from 2006 to 2008. As a freshman, she was named the FSC Player and Rookie of the Year, becoming the first player in league history in any sport to claim both honors in the same season. Vican was named to the NAIA Honorable Mention team in 2006-07 after averaging 14.8 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. She came back as a sophomore and averaged 14.3 and 8.3 to earn a spot on the All-FSC Second Team.
 
Prior to the 2008-09 season, she transferred to Fordham University looking to play out her remaining two years of eligibility with the Rams. After sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, Vican averaged 11.1 points as a junior on the Fordham squad in 2009-10. Unfortunately for Vican, her career was cut short as she suffered a back injury in the middle of her first competitive season with the Rams. She continued on in a supportive role with Fordham while completing her degree in Communications and Media Studies. Vican graduated in 2011.
 
"To be of service to the staff and women of Navy Basketball is truly a blessing," remarked Vican. "I am eager to learn from Coach Pemper and am ready to tackle this season with focus and enthusiasm! I am greatly appreciative of this opportunity to work with such an amazing group of young women and such a supportive staff."
 
Originally from York, Pa., Vican now resides in the DC area with her husband, Lennis.