Laura Habacker
Office Phone: (413)-265-2342
Office E-mail: habackerl@elms.edu

Laura Habacker, who is in her eighth season as head coach of the women's basketball program, led the Blazers to a 15-12 overall record last season - the second-highest win total in program history.

Under Coach Habacker, the Blazers have advanced to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament in five of the last seven years, including the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) semifinals last season. In 2004-05, she received North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Co-Coach of the Year conference honors.

Prior to joining Elms College in 2002, she was the head women's basketball and volleyball coach for five years at Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York. In 1999, she was named women's basketball coach of the year at Clarkson by the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA), and was a nominee for National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Regional Coach of the Year.

Coach Habacker also was an assistant women's basketball coach at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and helped the team qualify for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament in 1994-1995, and advance to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship in 1995-1996.

In the summer of 2009, Coach Habacker served as an administrator at the NCAA Student Athlete Development Conference, and in the summer of 2008 she attended the NCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. She also currently serves on the NCAA East Regional Women's Basketball committee.

Coach Habacker played four years for the women's basketball team at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and helped lead them to the NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Championship and an appearance in the Final Four.

Coach Habacker earned her bachelor's degree in biology from Clark University.

Lea Fitzgerald
Office Phone: (413)-265-2342 
Office E-mail: fitzgeraldlea@elms.edu

Lea Fitzgerald is in her second season as assistant coach of the women's basketball program.

Prior to Elms College, Coach Fitzgerald had served as member of the girls basketball coaching staff at Springfield's Cathedral High School from 2004-2008. She started as freshman coach and continued on to the junior varsity head coach before earning the assistant varsity job the past two seasons.  During this time she also coached the Western Mass Cheetahs AAU girls baskebtall team. 

Coach Fitzgerald earned her bachelor of arts degree in biology with a concentration in secondary education from Elms College in 2007.

Michelle Fernandes
Office Phone: (413)-265-2342
Office E-mail: fernandesm@elms.edu

Michelle Fernandes enters her first season as a volunteer assistant coach for the women's basketball team.

Coach Fernandes was a four-year starting point guard for the Blazers between 2004 and 2008 and was a team captain for three of those seasons.

Coach Fernandes earned her bachelor of arts degree in English with a minor in coaching from Elms College in 2008.