FORT MYERS, Fla.- The only Head Coach the Florida SouthWestern State Women's Basketball team has known has stepped down as Monday, Dr. Kristie Ward-Cangelosi resigned from her post with the Buccaneers to pursue a position in educational administration.

In four seasons at the helm for the Bucs, Ward-Cangelosi led FSW to an even 100 wins, posting a 100-28 overall record (.781).  Under Ward-Cangelosi's guidance, FSW captured three straight Suncoast Conference Championships from 2018-2020, recording a 25-2 record in league play during the stretch. She also led the Buccaneers to their first two NJCAA National Tournament berths in program history, reaching the tournament's Sweet 16 a season ago in their inaugural trip and earning FSW a #10 seed for the 2020 classic which was canceled due to COVID-19. She was named the Suncoast Conference Coach of the Year three times in four seasons at FSW and helped 10 players land NCAA Division I scholarships.  Ward leaves FSW with an overall coaching record of 560-222 in 24 seasons as an NJCAA Head Coach.

"First of all, I would like to thank Dr. Albritten, the Southwest Florida community, the FSW faculty, and our great fans for giving me the opportunity to build a program from the ground up and then supporting me throughout my five years at FSW" Ward-Cangelosi said.  "This recent downtime has given me an opportunity to reflect on what my career plan was when I started in education 25 years ago and it has reignited my passion in pursuing a position on the administrative side where I can direct my passion and energy wholeheartedly towards education" she continued.  "While I will no longer be on the sideline, I will continue to cheer on all of our Buccaneer teams and be their number one fan from the stands next season" she said.

FSW Athletic Director George Sanders thanked Ward-Cangelosi saying "From all of us here at FSW, we would like to thank Kristie for five years of hard work and four fantastic years on the court to get the program to where it is at today.  We wish her the very best moving forward with her next venture in education administration."

The FSW administration has expressed a desire to work on retaining the current assistant coaches on staff for continuity purposes and will begin work immediately on naming an interim Head Coach before making further plans in filling the position.