Special to the Record
Vassar College has selected Lucia Robinson-Griggs of Chelsea as its next Head Women’s Basketball Coach, as announced by Director of Athletics and Physical Education Michelle Walsh on Wednesday. Robinson-Griggs replaces Candice Signor-Brown, who resigned in August to become the head coach at Swarthmore College.
“I am so thankful and grateful for this incredible opportunity to lead the Vassar women’s basketball team into their next chapter,” said Robinson-Griggs. “Thank you to athletic director, Michelle Walsh, and the entire search committee for entrusting me to grow the program on the heels of what Coach Signor-Brown and our alums have built. I am beyond thankful for the coaches and mentors that I have had in my life that have supported me in this journey so far. I am ready to lead this very talented and dedicated team, and am confident we will reach our full potential on and off the court.”
Robinson-Griggs joins the Brewers athletics staff after working at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since the fall of 2011. She served as an assistant for the Engineers until the 2018-19 season when she was promoted to associate head coach. Robinson-Griggs was an integral part of the staff that went from a 10-14 overall record in 2011 to averaging 20 wins over the past four seasons.
Among her duties on the Engineers’ staff included leading the player development initiative, achieving consistent improvement in student-athlete performance. In addition to playing a key role in the team’s recruiting efforts, she designed and managed pre and post-season individual skill development, as well as scouting and film breakdown. Robinson-Griggs also served as the team’s social media coordinator since 2016, having helped grown the squad’s footprint by roughly 350% across the various platforms.
Highlighting her time at MIT was six consecutive conference playoff appearances, including back-to-back conference championships. In addition to ten NEWMAC All-Conference selections, Robinson-Griggs also helped coach four Rookie of the Year honorees. Her tenure also saw 45 Academic All-Conference and three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.
“I’m delighted to welcome Lucia to the Vassar family,” stated Walsh. “Lucia has been highly successful as a head and assistant coach at the Division III level, most recently playing a key role in leading the MIT women’s basketball team to back-to-back NEWMAC championships and NCAA bids. She shares our commitment to supporting student-athlete development both on and off the court and I look forward to the future of the women’s basketball program under her leadership.”
In addition to her time at MIT, Robinson-Griggs was also a staff member at Revere High School, where she worked with the School Redesign and Innovation Team, the Advisory Leadership Team and taught Inclusion Mathematics.
Robinson-Griggs served a three-year tenure at Lesley University, first as an assistant coach and then assumed head coaching duties the next two seasons before her time at MIT. During her time with the Lynx, her squads were back-to-back New England Collegiate Conference champions, resulting in her becoming one of the youngest head coaches in the NCAA to win a league title.
Before her time at Lesley, Robinson-Griggs served as the assistant varsity basketball and junior varsity head softball coach at Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Mass. She has also coached at the Bentley University and Sarah Behn Summer Basketball Camps.
A Dean’s List student, Robinson-Griggs graduated from Bentley in 2007 with degrees in mathematics and psychology. During her senior campaign, the Falcons advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Tournament. Robinson-Griggs went on to earn her Master’s degree in math education from Lesley University.