University of Albany

Chris Cannata, a five-time America East Conference Coach of the Year and the winningest head coach in the UAlbany softball program, completed her 28th season in 2022. 
 

Honors and Accomplishments

• 2011 NFCA Division I Northeast Region Staff of the Year
• 7 NCAA Tournament Appearances (2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018)
• 2007 NCAA Regional Final Appearance
• 7 America East Conference Tournament Champions (2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2018)
• 6 America East Conference Regular-Season Titles (2004, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2018)
• 1998 NECC Coach of the Year
• Overall record: 807-437-1
• America East record: 259-107-1
• Has coached:
  • 5 America East Players of the Year
    • Morgan Petty (2022), Liz Snow (2017), Charlise Castro (2012), Meagan Butsch (2009), Andee Lindgren (2004)
  • 6 America East Pitchers of the Year
    • Celeste Verdolivo (2018), Brittany MacFawn (2013), Leah McIntosh (2009), Casey Halloran (2006), Amanda Morin (2005), Andee Lindgren (2003)
  • 4 America East Rookies of the Year
    • Liz Snow (2014), Vicky McFarland (2012), Amber Maisonet (2005), Maegan Larson (2003)
  • 7 America East Scholar-Athletes of the Year
    • Kelly Barkevich (2020), Sarah Petzold (2019, 2018), Kelly Costello (2016), Gina Mason (2011), Meagan Butsch (2009), Andee Lindgren (2004)
  • 176 America East All-Conference selections including:
    • 59 First Team nods
      • Including 2 four-year first team honorees - Brittany MacFawn '14 and Amber Maisonet '08
    • 39 Second Team nods
    • 40 All-Rookie nods
    • 38 All-Academic nods
      • 6 three-year all-academic honorees - Katie Falotico '22, Devin Durando '18, Liz Snow '17, Kelly Costello '16, Maggie Cocks '16, and Amber Maisonet '08
    • 5 four-year all-conference honorees - Katie Falotico '22, Liz Snow '17, Casey Halloran '07, Ashley Rios '06, and Katrina Dunning '06
  • 119 America East weekly award selections including:
    • 41 Players of the Week
    • 49 Pitchers of the Week
    • 29 Rookies of the Week

 

Coaching Experience

• Head Coach, University at Albany (1995-present)
• Head Coach, Voorheesville High School

 

Education

• B.S., Business Administration, University at Albany ( 1985)
• M.A., Kinesiology, Texas Woman's University (2008)

 

At UAlbany

2022

Working for a 10-6 conference record, the Great Danes finished third in the America East behind UMBC and Stony Brook. Since the Seawolves were ineligible and UAlbany grabbed a bye with the two-seed in the championship tournament. The Great Danes went on to earn victories over UMass Lowell to make their way to the league's championship game. UMBC took the championship win and UAlbany finished the postseason in second place. Following the championship contest, Emma Adams, Wendi Hammond, and Maranda Jimenez were named All-Tournament while Katie Falotico notched the Elite-18 award.

Overall, the Great Danes finished with a 25-17 record. UAlbany swept the conference series over Maine and Binghamton while splitting, 2-1, against UMass Lowell and Hartford and 1-2 against UMBC and Stony Brook. Five Great Danes were honored with postseason America East selections. Morgan Petty led the pack as the Player of the Year. Katie Falotico, Lové Drumgole, and Maranda Jimenez joind Petty on the First Team while freshman Sierra Fretz earned a Second Team honor and an All-Rookie nod. Falotico added two academic awards - America East All-Academic and COSIDA Academic All-District.

In June, Katie Falotico was named a finalist for the America East Woman of the Year award and in July, she was named one of three collegiate Capital District Sports Women of the Year.

2021

Selected to finish fourth in the America East Preseason Poll, the Great Danes finished the 2021 campaign as the conference’s No. 2 seed entering the postseason. The team ended the regular season winning its final nine conference games, taking two series at home and one on the road. The winning streak was highlighted by a three-game sweep of top rival and preseason favorite Stony Brook, a series in which the Great Danes allowed only three runs the entire weekend. Cannata's squad would go on to eliminate UMass Lowell in the America East Tournament before ending the postseason in third place. 

The team totaled 11 America East All-Conference honors, led by three Great Danes (Katie Falotico, Maranda Jimenez, and Caitlyn Mitros) earning First Team All-Conference honors. Two more Great Danes (Wendi Hammond and Morgan Petty) were deemed Second Team All-Conference, four were named to the All-Rookie Team (Madison Petrella, Hammond, Mitros, and Petty), and two were named to the All-Academic Team (Kelly Barkevich and Falotico). 

2020 

On March 12, the 2020 season was cut short after 11 games due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent decisions made by the NCAA and its member conferences and institutions to cancel spring events. UAlbany, picked fifth in the preseason conference poll, had gone 6-5 before the season ended. Madison Petrella garnered America East Rookie of the Week honors on February 25, and Katie Falotico earned America East Player of the Week honors on March 3.

2019

UAlbany finished the season second in the conference with a 26-17 record (13-4). Maranda Jimenez tallied her first career no hitter against Norfolk State, and became the program’s 20th no-hitter and first since 2014. The Great Danes dominated play against the America East tallying a handful of series sweeps against conference opponents. Sarah Petzold, Katie Falotico and Amelia Ely were tabbed to the America East All-Conference First Team. Celeste Verdolivo and Chelsea Henige earned Second Team honors. Chloe Lewis and Love Drumgole garnered All-Rookie Team accolades and Kelly Barkevich and Petzold were tabbed to the All-Academic Team. Petzold also closed out her campaign collecting Google Cloud Academic All-America Honors.

2018

UAlbany earned its seventh America East Tournament title and sixth America East regular season title, heading back to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season at the Eugene Regional in Oregon, finishing 32-16 overall and 13-4 in the league.  Cannata was selected as the America East Coach of the Year for the fifth time while junior Celeste Verdolivo was the America East Pitcher of the Year.  Five players earned America East All-Conference honors, including Verdolivo, McKenzie Bump and Sarah Petzold all being named to the First Team.  UAlbany, as the 1-seed in the America East Tournament, knocked off 2-seed UMass Lowell twice in the conference championship, including a key three-run home run by Petzold in the bottom of the sixth in the game one 4-3 victory.  UAlbany won the final game 4-1 over UMass Lowell to secure the title.  The Great Danes challenged the NCAA Tournament top seed Oregon, trailing by only one until the fifth inning in a 4-0 defeat before falling to BYU to finish the regional.

2017 

UAlbany returned to the top of the America East, rallying from being the 4-seed to third straight wins in the America East Tournament, then winning 6-1 over 2-seed Maine to win the program's seventh championship.  The Great Danes went to the Tuscaloosa Regional in Alabama for the NCAA Tournament, falling to Alabama and Louisiana Tech for a 27-18 overall record and 8-7 America East standing.  Elizabeth Snow was honored as an NFCA All-Northeast Region player and the America East Player of the Year after finishing in the top-2 in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, RBI, doubles, home runs and total bases.  Snow was joined on the America East All-Conference Team with Mackenzie Cleary and Donna Conrad.  The America East title for softball was the 100th conference title earned by the athletics department in its Division I history.

2016

The Great Danes got back to the America East championship round in 2016 with wins over Stony Brook and Binghamton in the elimination bracket before falling to eventual league champion Maine, finishing 34-18 overall and 11-5 in the league, the fifth consecutive season that UAlbany earned at least 30 victories.  UAlbany placed five on the America East All-Conference Teams, including Maggie Cocks being First Team for the third straight year, plus a league-best four on the All-Academic Team.  

2015

The Purple & Gold finished second in the America East with an 11-6 league slate, going 30-18 overall, the fourth straight 30+ win season for the program and including a trio of five-game winning streaks.  Four Great Danes were honored with six America East All-Conference players, including four on the First Team: Vicky McFarland, Alexa Toole, Maggie Cocks and Kelly Costello.  

2014

The 2014 season featured a historic run to the NCAA Regional in Eugene, Ore., as the Great Danes boasted a 34-13 overall record and 14-3 conference mark. Facing elimination in the America East Tournament with two outs in the bottom of the 10^th inning, freshman Liz Snow’s three-run walk-off home run lifted UAlbany to a 3-2 victory over Stony Brook and forced a deciding game that the Danes went on to win, 8-1. With the triumph, UAlbany captured its fifth conference tournament title and advanced to its fifth NCAA tournament. Edged 1-0 by Wisconsin in the first game, UAlbany overcame Utah Valley, 4-3, for the program’s third NCAA win in history. While the Badgers ultimately ended UAlbany’s run, Charlise Castro was named to the all-region team. Snow was named America East Rookie of the Year, while Brittany MacFawn, Maggie Cocks, and Vicky McFarland picked up first-team honors, highlighting a cast of eight on the first and second squads.

2013

UAlbany clinched its fifth regular season America East title on the way to an overall record of 37-15 and 15-2 in conference play. The team’s win total was one away from a program record and the most since 2009. The Great Danes played in the conference championship for the third consecutive season. Stony Brook defeated UAlbany twice to claim the title. On the mound, junior Brittany MacFawn was named America East Pitcher of the Year. The junior broke the single-season records for innings pitched (256.1), strikeouts (283), complete games (34) and appearances (36). She broke a program and conference record for single-season wins with a 28-9 record. On the basepath, freshman Annie Johnson stole 44 bases, with her .86 steal-per-game average ranking second in the nation. The Great Danes set a DI program record with 14 consecutive wins.  MacFawn was named the 2013 NFCA Division I Northeast All-Region Second Team. UAlbany had seven players named to all-conference teams. 

2012 

The Great Danes finished 2012 as the runner-up in the America East Conference Tournament. UAlbany was defeated by Boston University, 5-0, in the conference championship game after climbing its way past Maine and Stony Brook in two elimination rounds. Cannata led the Great Danes to their program's second highest single-season win total in Division I history, 36-14. Charlise Castro was unanimously named America East Player of the Year. The sophomore first baseman hit for the conference's Triple Crown, tops in batting average (.468), home runs (13) and RBIs (52). Centerfielder Vicky McFarland was named America East Co-Rookie of the Year. She finished the season with a .399 on-base percentage and 23 stolen bases. They were both named to the all-league first team along with sophomore pitcher Brittany MacFawn. Cannata surpassed the 500-win mark in an early season victory over Campbell University, 2-1.

2011 

The Great Danes in 2011 were able to capture their fourth America East Conference Tournament crown. UAlbany recorded a 28-23 record under Cannata to give her 497 wins just three shy of 500. Cannata and assistant coaches were recognized as the NFCA Division I Northeast Region Staff of the Year. Gina Mason was chosen to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA all-region second team and was a first-team All-America East selection after hitting .404 at the plate. Brittany MacFawn, a freshman pitcher who was the conference championship's most outstanding player, and shortstop Andrianna Walraven were also on the all-league first team.

2010

In 2010, UAlbany recorded its first under 30-win season since entering the America East Conference in 2002, with a 20-23 record. The Great Danes did however land six players on the America East All-Conference Softball Team. Gina Mason and Jessican Bergin were placed on the all-conference first team. Michelle Connors and Kat Smith landed on the all-conference second team. Kylie Apostolina and Allie Weiser were on the all-conference rookie team, marking the eighth consecutive season at least one Great Dane has been on the squad

2009 

The Great Danes set a program record by winning 38 games and advanced to the championship game of the America East Tournament for the fifth straight season in 2009. Meagan Butsch was named the league's co-player of the Year after breaking school records for home runs in a single season and in a career. Leah McIntosh became the fourth Great Dane in seven seasons to be awarded pitcher of the year after throwing four perfect games. Both players were named to the all-conference first team as well as All-Northeast Region selections by the NFCA. Kristine Bill, Gina Mason and Kat Smith were placed on the all-league second team.

2008

UAlbany won the league's regular-season championship in 2008 and compiled a 34-17 record. The Great Danes hosted the America East Tournament for the first time and advanced to the championship game for the fourth straight season and the fifth time in six years. Senior left fielder Amber Maisonet, who graduated as the program's all-time leader in hits (233) and runs scored (151), and McIntosh were named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I All-Northeast Region second team, while Butsch joined the duo on the All-America East first team. Sophomores Michelle Connors and Bailey Van Deest garnered all-conference second-team honors, while Mason and Andrianna Walraven landed on the all-rookie squad.

2007

UAlbany won its third straight America East Conference championship in 2007, defeating UMBC in the tournament final to advance to the NCAA Regionals for the third consecutive year. The Great Danes, who posted a 35-17 record, became the first America East program to advance to the regional final, defeating Harvard and host Hofstra before falling to nationally-ranked Baylor. Senior Kelly Ogden earned her third all-conference award, and was joined on the first team by Maisonet and Connors. Connors was joined by McIntosh on the all-rookie squad, while Casey Halloran, who completed her career as one of the most successful pitchers in UAlbany history, earned all-conference second-team honors. Both Ogden and Halloran finished at the top of several UAlbany career charts in their four seasons under Cannata's guidance. Ogden finished tops in hits (202), RBI (156) and doubles (38) while Halloran is the career leader in wins (73), complete games (68), innings pitched (650.2), games started (97) and appearances (125).

2006

In 2006, Cannata's squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Great Danes were crowned America East Conference tournament champions after winning two of a three-game series with Boston University. The team then traveled to Amherst, Mass., where they faced off against Massachusetts and Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament. Cannata coached the America East Conference pitcher of the year for the third time in four seasons as Halloran earned the honor by posting a 27-10 record and a school-record 252 strikeouts. Six other Great Danes earned all-conference honors.

2005

In 2005, UAlbany posted its second straight regular-season conference title, while leading the conference with a .306 batting average, and advanced to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament. Eight Great Danes received all-conference honors, including rookie of the year Maisonet and pitcher of the year Amanda Morin. Morin and Ogden were each named to the NFCA All-Northeast Region Team.

2004

Cannata's squad registered its second consecutive 34-win season in 2004. The Great Danes won their first regular-season conference championship at the Division I level with a 17-2 league record. UAlbany led the America East in hitting, and four players were named to the all-conference first team, while two were selected to the second team. Pitcher Andee Lindgren was honored as the 2004 America East Player of the Year after being named the conference's pitcher of the year in 2003. Lindgren was also a two-time selection to the NFCA's Northeast Region Team.

2003

Cannata guided the Great Danes to their first appearance in the America East Conference championship game. 

2002

During UAlbany's debut season in the America East in 2002, Cannata led her squad to a 12-12 league mark while finishing 30-20 overall.

Prior to the America East

Cannata led the Great Danes through their transition from the Division III to the Division II level in 1996 and the upgrade to Division I in 2000. UAlbany finished with a 27-9 record in its inaugural Division I campaign, concluding with an ECAC regional tournament appearance.
 
In 1999, UAlbany totaled a then school-record 33 victories on its way to the Division II ECAC Mid-Atlantic Championship and a second-place finish in the New England Collegiate Conference. Cannata was named the NECC Coach of the Year when UAlbany won its first-ever conference championship in 1998, with a 32-9 record, and was awarded an ECAC Tournament bid. During the Great Danes four-year stay in Division II, she guided the program to a 101-55 record for a .647 winning percentage and three trips to the ECAC playoffs.
 

Playing Career

Cannata played on both UAlbany’s basketball and softball teams. She was also a member of the Adirondack Ice, an area major fastpitch team, and played for 10 years on the Adirondack Region Empire State Games squad.
 

Prior to UAlbany

Prior to her appointment at UAlbany, Cannata was the head coach at Voorheesville High School, where her team captured the 1994 Colonial Conference and New York State Section II titles.
 

Personal

A native of Port Jefferson, N.Y., Cannata received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from UAlbany. While a Great Dane, she was a member of both the school’s basketball and softball teams. 
 
During her time as head coach of the Great Danes softball team, Cannata earned her master’s degree in kinesiology from Texas Woman’s University in 2008 through an online program.
 

Season	Overall Record	America East* Record	America East* Regular Season Finish	America East* Tournament	NCAA Tournament
2022	25-17	10-6	3rd	Beat #3 UMass Lowell, 6-5 Fell to #1 UMBC, 1-0 Beat #3 UMass Lowell, 5-3 Fell to #1 UMBC, 4-0
2021	23-19	12-6	2nd	Fell to #3 Stony Brook, 10-5 Beat #4 UMass Lowell, 4-3 Fell to #3 Stony Brook, 6-1
2020**	6-5
2019	26-17	13-4	2nd	Fell to #3 Stony Brook, 4-0 Fell to #5 Binghamton, 6-0
2018	32-16	13-4	1st	Beat #5 Binghamton, 9-0 (5 inn.) Fell to #2 UMass Lowell, 5-2 (8 inn.) Beat #3 Stony Brook, 9-0 Beat #2 UMass Lowell, 4-3 Beat #2 UMass Lowell, 2-1	Eugene, Ore. Fell to Oregon, 4-0 Fell to BYU, 16-0
2017	26-17	8-7	5th	Beat #5 UMBC, 5-4 (10 inn.) Beat #1 Binghamton, 4-3 (8 inn.) Beat #2 Maine, 8-2 Fell to #2 Maine, 2-0 Beat #2 Maine, 6-1	Tuscaloosa, Al. Fell to Alabama, 5-1 Fell to Louisiana Tech, 8-1
2016	34-18	11-5	3rd	Beat #6 Hartford, 7-1 Fell to #2 Maine, 7-4 Beat #4 Stony Brook, 9-7 Beat #1 Binghamton, 6-4 Fell to #2 Maine, 15-1 (5 inn.)
2015	30-18	11-6	2nd	Fell to #3 Binghamton, 5-3 Fell to #4 Maine, 10-7
2014	34-13	14-3	2nd	Beat #3 Binghamton, 8-7 Fell to #1 Stony Brook, 9-0 (6 inn.) Beat #3 Binghamton, 5-2 Beat #1 Stony Brook, 3-2 Beat #1 Stony Brook, 8-1	Eugene, Ore. Fell to Wisconsin, 1-0 Beat Utah Valley, 4-3 Fell to Wisconsin, 8-4
2013	37-15	15-2	1st	Beat #4 Stony Brook, 4-0 Beat #2 Binghamton, 4-2 Fell to #4 Stony Brook, 8-2 Fell to #4 Stony Brook, 2-0
2012	36-14	15-5	2nd	Fell to #3 Stony Brook, 6-4 Beat #4 Maine, 2-0 Beat #3 Stony Brook, 6-5 Fell to #1 Boston U., 5-0
2011	28-23	14-4	2nd	Beat #3 Binghamton 2-1 Beat #1 Boston U., 4-1 Beat #1 Boston U., 3-1	University Park, Pa. Fell to #13 Oregon, 3-1 Fell to Penn State, 6-1
2010	20-23	9-8	4th	Fell to #1 Boston U., 2-0 Fell to #3 Stony Brook, 1-0
2009	38-16	12-7	3rd	Fell to #2 Boston U., 4-3 Beat #4 UMBC, 5-1 Beat #1 Stony Brook, 4-1 Fell to #2 Boston U., 7-1
2008	34-17	18-7	1st	Beat #4 UMBC, 4-0 Fell to #3 Stony Brook, 7-2 Beat #4 UMBC, 4-0 Fell to #3 Stony Brook, 4-0
2007	33-15	12-9	4th	Beat #1 Boston U., 2-1 Beat #2 UMBC, 2-0 Beat #2 UMBC, 6-4	Hempstead, N.Y. Fell to #8 Baylor, 8-2 Beat Harvard, 1-0 Beat Hofstra, 4-2 Fell to Baylor, 11-6 (final)
2006	36-11	14-6	2nd	Beat #3 UMBC, 8-0 (5 inn.) Beat #4 Boston U., 2-1 Fell to #4 Boston U., 3-1 Beat #4 Boston U., 5-2	Amherst, Mass. Fell to UMass, 2-0 Fell to Texas A&M, 6-5
2005	35-14	12-2	1st	Beat #4 Stony Brook, 4-3 Beat #2 Boston U., 7-3 Beat #4 Stony Brook, 4-0	South Bend, Ind. Fell to Northwestern, 6-1 Fell to Louisville, 5-4
2004	34-18	17-2	1st	Fell to #4 Maine, 1-0 Fell to #3 Boston U., 3-2
2003	34-10	17-4	2nd	Beat #3 Maine, 1-0 Beat #1 Boston U., 3-0 Fell to #1 Boston U., 5-1 Fell to #1 Boston U., 3-1
2002	30-20	12-12	4th	Fell to #1 Boston U., 3-0 Beat #3 Maine, 4-0 Fell to #3 Hartford, 2-0
2000^	27-9
1999	33 wins
1998	27-9
	807-437-1	259-107-1		7 - America East Championship titles 14 - America East Championship appearances 20 - America East tournament appearances Record: 41-30	7 - NCAA Tournament appearances 1 - Regional final appearance Record: 3-14 *Division I only*

*UAlbany joined the America East ahead of the 2001-02 academic year. While in Division II, UAlbany was a member of the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC).
**The 2020 season was canceled ahead of conference play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
^The 1999-2000 academic year was the first in Division I for UAlbany.
***Data before the 2002 season was unable to be found in completion, what is known is filled out in the above chart. Cannata's overall record is for her entire coaching career, including seasons where specific records where unable to be found.

Last updated February 2023