PHONE: (419) 783-2391

FAX: (419) 783-2369

EMAIL: jcox@defiance.edu

Defiance College announced on Friday, April 20 of 2012 that it had hired Jessica Cox as the 12th head coach in the history of the Yellow Jacket women’s basketball program. Cox will begin her post with the Purple and Gold on May 14, 2012.

Cox will begin her first head coaching stint at the collegiate level as the 12th head coach in the 40-year history of the women’s basketball program at Defiance College.

Cox brings seven years of coaching experience with her to Defiance College. The Galena, Illinois native most recently served as the assistant coach at NCAA Division III Whitman College.

The Missionaries went 31-21 during the past two years with Cox on the staff, including a 21-11 mark within the Northwest Conference. Cox saw Whitman improve its record in each of her two years with the squad, while overseeing the strength and conditioning and recruiting efforts of the program.

Prior to moving to Walla Walla, Washington to join the WC coaching staff, Cox went 32-15 as the head coach at Waterford Mott High in Michigan. Cox guided the Corsairs to a six-win improvement in her second year, saw the team win league and district championships and was a nominee for Oakland County Coach of the Year by the Basketball Coaches Association for Michigan.

Cox got her start on the bench as an assistant coach at Augustana College, while working as the coach of the junior varsity program at the D-III institution.

Before jumping into the coaching ranks, Cox started every game of her record-setting, four-year career on the planks with the University of Dubuque. Cox was a captain of the team in each of her final two seasons and earned all-conference honors as a senior.

Cox ended her standout Division III career with Dubuque as the program’s all-time leader with 247 made three-point shots and a 34.8-percent clip from beyond the arc. Cox also left as the school’s top free-throw shooter with a crisp 80.0-percent rate, ranked third with 298 assists and fourth with 1,328 points.

Cox graduated from Dubuque in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in health, wellness and recreation and earned a minor in coaching.