Proulx Named Head Women’s Basketball Coach

CHICOPEE, Mass. – The Elms College athletics department recently announced the hiring of Michelle Proulx as the head women's basketball coach and admissions liaison.

Coach Proulx brings a wealth of passion and experience to her new position at Elms including five years on the staff as an assistant coach under Laura Habacker where she was able to enhance her coaching skills in the Blazers' system.

During Coach Proulx's five years as an assistant, the Blazers amassed a record of 76-62 including a program-best 20-8 mark during the 2011-12 season that saw Elms win the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship and secure its first-ever spot in the NCAA Division III Championship.

A 2008 graduate of Elms, Coach Proulx played four years of basketball for the Blazers from 2004-05 to 2007-08, helping the team to 36 wins during the stretch as members of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC). A stellar point guard with terrific court vision and passing prowess, Coach Proulx helped Elms to back-to-back NAC Championship quarterfinal appearances in 2004-05 and 2005-06 and again in 2007-08.

Coach Proulx ranks in Elms' top 10 all-time in career games played (101), steals (136), three-point field goals made (133) and attempted (525) and field goals attempted (706). Upon her graduation in 2008, she was the program's all-time leader in assists with 220 and now ranks third in the category. Coach Proulx finished her career with 635 points averaging 6.3 per game and collected 206 total rebounds.

On the hardwood, she was a three-year captain, four-year starter and was a two-time (2006-07, 2007-08) NAC All-Academic selection. Coach Proulx was also a two-year member of the Elms field hockey program and in 2004 was named Honorable Mention All-NAC.

From 2008 to August of 2013, Coach Proulx served as an Elms Admissions counselor and as the Director of the Student Ambassador program where she worked with prospective students from Hampden County, Worcester County the public schools in Springfield, Mass. and other outlying territories. In 2013, she was promoted to Assistant Director of Admissions at Elms. Her chief duties included travel coordination for the entire office, mentor for first year admissions counselors, managing on-campus admissions events and continued travel and review of territories in the Springfield area.

Coach Proulx also brings vast Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) coaching experience including a stint with the Connecticut Wave AAU team at the U-15 and U-16 levels from March 2012 to August 2013. Her 2012 U-15 team won the Connecticut State bronze medal.

In addition, she also served as Mass. Frenzy AAU basketball coach (U-14/U-15) in 2008 and 2009, was the head coach of the west team during the Bay State Games in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and helped direct the Bentley University Overnight Basketball Camp in August of 2011 and 2012. Coach Proulx was also the head junior varsity coach and assistant varsity girls basketball coach at Chicopee High School from August 2008 to August 2009.

Coach Proulx graduated from Elms in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in English with a writing concentration and a minor in coaching.