A three-time team captain and twice an all-region performer, Allie Paluchniak is bringing her leadership skills to the bench of the University of Mary women’s basketball team as a graduate assistant coach, starting in the 2016-17 season.
“Allie will be a great addition to our women’s basketball staff,” said Marauders head women's basketball coach Rick Neumann. “She was a high quality player who will provide great on-court insight to our athletes. In addition she has a real desire to be a coach. Allie participated in the NCAA’s “So You Want to Be A Coach” program at the Final Four this year and has been very outgoing in her desire to learn as much as possible about coaching basketball. She is a very passionate young woman and I’m confident that passion will resonate with players in our program. We can’t wait for Allie to begin her duties full-time and are excited for the ideas she will generate to help advance our program.”
“I am extremely excited to begin my coaching at UMary,” said Paluchniak. “From my first interactions with the coaches and players, I can tell this is an exciting time to be a part of an outstanding Marauders basketball program.”
A three-year starter at guard for Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL, Paluchniak was the team captain for the Trolls all three seasons. She earned NCAA All-Region honorable mention honors as both a sophomore (2013-14) and junior (2014-15). Paluchniak averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds and made 81.4 percent of her free throws as a sophomore and scored 7.5 points, hauled down 34 rebounds and made 81.3 percent of her free throws as a junior. She posted 7.3 points and 3.6 rebounds her senior season in 2015-16. Paluchniak spent her freshman season at Concordia University (WI).
Paluchniak started her coaching career as a high school varsity basketball summer league coach in her hometown of Oostburg, WI, and was an AAU coach with the Rising Force Basketball Academy in Milwaukee, WI, in the summer of 2015. She also served an internship with the Wheaton College (IL) athletic department in spring 2016 where she helped the women’s basketball team in game preparation and assisted the sports information director.
A Dean’s List student and an NAIA/NCCAA/CCAC scholar-athlete who earned numerous academic honors, Paluchniak graduated from Trinity Christian College with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science with minors in business and coaching in 2016.
