Jessica Skelton enters her seventh year as the head women’s basketball coach and her fifth year as the head softball coach at SUNYIT. She also served as the women’s soccer coach in 2008.
Skelton, who has steadily improved her win total in each of her first six seasons as the women’s basketball coach, led the Wildcats to a SUNYIT school record 22-5 mark last season, which was good for first place in the conference. With a 15-2 record in conference, the Wildcats made their fourth straight appearance in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Tournament this past season, which SUNYIT hosted as the top overall seed.
In the 2011-12 season Skelton also led the softball team to its third straight NEAC Tournament Championship appearance finishin the season with a 27-12 overall record.
In 2009, in just her second season, Skelton guided the women's softball team to a program-best record of 29-9 overall and the team's first appearance in the NEAC Tournament Championship while shattering almost every statistical team record. Her efforts led her to being named the NEAC Co-Coach of the Year.
In her lone season as the women’s soccer coach, Skelton led the team to a then program-best eight victories and an appearance in the quarterfinal round of the NEAC Tournament.
Skelton graduated from SUNYIT in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business after transferring from Alfred State before her junior year. She was a dual-athlete as a student, excelling in both basketball and softball. She was a dominant guard for the Wildcats, as she led the basketball squad in points, assists and steals during her two years on the team and was a two-time SUNYAC All-Conference Team selection. In addition, she took home two ECAC Player of the Week awards and two SUNYAC Player of the Week awards during her time in a Wildcat jersey.
During her senior year, Skelton led the Wildcat softball team to a then-program-best 20-20 overall record and the New York State Women’s Collegiate Athletics Association (NYSWCAA) Championship, which was the first-ever postseason title for SUNYIT. Skelton finished her senior season with team-highs of 29 runs and 10 stolen bases and also registered 35 hits, 16 RBI, four doubles and a .297 batting average while starting all 40 SUNYT contests at the shortstop position. She capped off that remarkable season by being named the team’s MVP and the Wildcats’ Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
