October 2, 2007
Gilchrest-Wallach Resigns as Head Coach
Kaneshiki to Serve as Head Coach for 2007-08

CHESTERTOWN, MD – Washington College athletic director Bryan Matthews has announced that Gail Gilchrest-Wallach is stepping down as head women's basketball coach at Washington College effective October 3rd after four seasons. Gilchrest-Wallach recently accepted the position of head women's basketball coach at Drew University in her home state of New Jersey. Steve Kaneshiki, who returned to Washington College for his second stint as an assistant coach over the summer, has been elevated to serve as head coach on an interim basis throughout the 2007-08 academic year.

Gilchrest-Wallach departs the program after leading the Shorewomen to their best season in six years. The Shorewomen went 12-13 in 2006-07, a seven-game improvement over the previous season, and guided the team to its first-ever win over a nationally-ranked opponent. Last year's Shorewomen also had two players earn All-Centennial Conference honors, marking the second time in program history two Shorewomen earned All-Conference honors in the same season. The Shorewomen graduated just one senior from last year's team and welcome five freshmen to the roster this season.

"We thank Gail for her hard work and dedication to Washington College and her team and student-athletes," noted Matthews. "She leaves the program stronger than she found it, and has laid the groundwork for continued success in the future."

Prior to his first stint at Washington, Kaneshiki spent two and one-half years as head coach at Cumberland County Community College in New Jersey. In his first full season as head coach of Cumberland County, Kaneshiki ended the team’s 32-game losing streak, guided the team to a 10-win improvement, and coached the Dukes to a program record for wins in a season. The Dukes reached the semifinals of the Garden State Athletic Conference Playoffs in both of his two full seasons at the helm. At Cumberland County, Kaneshiki coached two NJCAA Academic All-Americans, three All-Region XIX players, and nine players who have received a total of 18 NJCAA Region XIX Academic first team awards.

Before becoming the head women's coach at Cumberland County, Kaneshiki served as an assistant men's basketball coach at the school. Kaneshiki's first stop at Washington came in 2005-06 when he served as an assistant coach to Gilchrest-Wallach. Kaneshiki, a 1999 graduate of Elon University, spent last season as the assistant women's basketball coach at Rutgers-Camden.

A national search for a permanent head coach will be held at the end of the academic year. A search for a new assistant coach to replace the elevated Kaneshiki will begin immediately.