Hullah new women's basketball coach
After surviving the trip to Lebanon Municipal Airport, Jackie Hullah is ready to tackle her new assignment as women's basketball coach. Previously an assistant at Northwestern, Hullah's flight was exceptionally bumpy and her luggage was lost. A veteran traveler, she packed an overnight bag the best defense is a good offense but airline officials required she check that through and it was promptly lost as well.
Nonetheless, she is ready for the challenge of Dartmouth basketball as well as the Lebanon airport. "I want to continue Dartmouth's success within the Ivy League while simultaneously improving the standard of Ivy League basketball outside the conference. I want Dartmouth to set the standard for the Ivy League and hopefully have the automatic NCAA bid returned," said Hullah.
Hullah is a 1978 graduate of California State University at Fullerton where she was a starting guard on the AIAW Regional Championship team that finished the season ranked fourth in the nation. Following graduation, she was offered a no-cut contract to play professional ball with the St. Louis Streak. She opted instead to pursue a master's degree at Penn State where she served as a graduate assistant with the Nittany Lion women's basketball team.
At Dartmouth she is reunited with Assistant Coach Louise Leimkuhler who played for her at Penn State. Hullah joined Northwestern before the 1980-81 season, helping the team to a 22-12 record and the 17th ranking in the nation.
What attracted her to Dartmouth? "I was drawn by the commitment of the administration to women's basketball, the support of the community and the tradition of success the Dartmouth basketball program has attained throughout the years," she said.
She inherits a team that loses only two seniors and returns first-team All-Ivy center Jayne Daigle and Sue Murray, last year's Ivy League Rookie of the Year. "Dartmouth has a tradition of success in women's basketball," she said, "and that will appeal to prospective students. But the value of an undergraduate education at Dartmouth is something you can't find anywhere else. The people here and in the community have a genuine enthusiasm for the school and the athletic program - that's another plus," added Hullah.
