The 2022-23 season will be Sean Kirk's fourth at the helm for the Lady Barons
The 2021-22 season was a tough test for the young Lady Barons roster. The roster consist on all freshman and sophomores, and they battled hard each and every night. They won one PAC matchup at Thiel, before their season ending in the PAC Tournament. Madison Doan was named All-PAC Honorable Mention for her stellar freshman campaign.
The Lady Barons transitioned into the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) for the 2020-21 season. The season was cut to just conference games due to COVID-19, and the Lady Barons would hold a 1-9 record. They earned their first PAC win in school history against Chatham on the road. The season came to an end in the PAC Tournament, as they fell to #7 Bethany.
In the 2019-20 season, Coach Kirk led one of the largest turn arounds in the AMCC, as the Lady Barons went from 2-22 to 10-15 in Kirk's first season. Kirk was instrumental in developing Abby Baierl and Estelle Leon to two of the better seasons in recent years. Baierl's 14.8 ppg was good for 6th best in the AMCC. Leon averaged a double double of 11.6 ppg and 10.6 rpg, 2nd best in the AMCC.
Director of athletics, Mike Holmes, announced on May 30, 2019 the hiring of Sean Kirk as the head coach for the women’s basketball team at Franciscan University of Steubenville. Kirk re-joins the Franciscan coaching staff after a two-year stint at Bryn Athyn College.
“I am excited to come back to Franciscan University,” remarked Kirk. “I look at Franciscan as a second home and a place that has helped me grow in my faith. It is a blessing to work at an institution with a strong commitment to their mission and Catholic identity. The best part about the job is the opportunity to form student-athletes in faith and virtue through the sport of basketball.”
“What seemed to be a common theme with our committee was the success Sean Kirk had demonstrated with recruiting both in his time here and in his current role at Bryn Athyn,” commented Holmes. “His energy is evident, and I feel he will do a tremendous job getting players in here who will complement who we have to move the program in a good direction.”
Kirk is the fourth head coach of the women’s basketball program since joining the NCAA in 2007.
Kirk returns to his alma mater after spending two years as an assistant coach with the Bryn Athyn men’s basketball program. While with the Lions, Kirk helped to recruit student-athletes that lived the mission of Bryn Athyn. He was able to exceed the recruiting goals of the team by bringing in three student-athletes above the goal. Kirk was instrumental in organizing official campus visits as well as coordinating with several different departments across campus. Kirk worked one-on-one with his student-athletes during practices to help develop their civil, moral, and spiritual lives.
Along with his coaching duties, Kirk served as an admissions counselor at Bryn Athyn. As an admissions counselor, Kirk was responsible for recruiting potential students from at least nine different states, and worked to find new partnerships for Bryn Athyn College through high schools, community colleges, and other organizations.
Prior to the move to eastern Pennsylvania, Kirk was an assistant coach with the men’s basketball program at Franciscan from 2015 to 2017 and served under current head coach, Joe Wallace. Kirk received his master’s in business from Franciscan in the spring of 2017 and earned his bachelor of science in management in the spring of 2015. As an assistant coach with the Barons, Kirk helped to bring in the largest recruiting class until that point and planned on-campus visits while working with the financial aid and admission departments.
Kirk also worked as an academic advisor during his first stint at Franciscan and helped freshmen to learn how to manage their time, study habits, and how to be successful in their first year of college away from home.
Kirk also served as the Game Day Media Coordinator in the sports information office until December of 2019. He then took a position in Admissions as an Admissions Counselor, where he works now.
“I understand there will be a lot of work to do moving forward,” continued Kirk. “With the national prominence of Franciscan as a university, this program is a sleeping giant and I know this program will succeed. Toughness, energy, and discipline will make up the foundation of our program and I look forward to guiding this program to its success.”
Updated 3/7/22
