'Proud to be a Dalhousie Tiger again'

Anna Stammberger is the head coach of the Tigers' women's basketball team. (Nick Pearce Photo)

Anna (Pendergast) Stammberger is the new head coach of the Dalhousie Tigers women's basketball team.

Originally from Kensington, P.E.I., Anna is a familiar face to Dalhousie basketball. Arriving at Dalhousie in 1978, she initially began her Tigers’ career as a recruit for the volleyball team but upon trying out for the basketball team, she secured a spot on the roster and competed for four seasons with the Tigers. She earned CIS All-Canadian status twice and was named Dalhousie’s Class of ‘55 Award Winner in 1983 as the university’s top female athlete.

"I'm very grateful and proud to be a Dalhousie Tiger again. My experiences at Dal as a student-athlete were extremely positive and important in my development into an international competitor and coach,” said Ms. Stammberger, “I'll work very hard to maintain and build on the strong foundation and high standards of excellence set by Dr. Carolyn Savoy."

Upon graduation from Dalhousie with a Bachelor of Physical Education degree in 1983, Anna made her way to the national women’s basketball team where she represented Canada for 11 years, competing in numerous international competitions across the globe. In 1984, she became the first female athlete from P.E.I. to compete in an Olympic Games and she was recognized by her home province with the P.E..I. Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Best Female Athlete in 1987 and was later inducted to the P.E.I. Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

Ms. Stammberger’s impressive credentials in the sport of basketball initially formed as a player but she later developed into a top quality coach. She spent eight years (1995-2003) as head coach in the German 1st Division where she recruited talented and competitive athletes for the Athletic Club BG Rentrop. She returned to P.E.I. in 2003 to take on the roles of athletic director, coach and teacher at Kensington Intermediate Senior High School where she was responsible for the school’s varsity programs and coached basketball as well as track & field and cross country. Since 2008, she has also served as an assistant coach with Canada Basketball’s Centre for Performance for Atlantic Canada, working with under-17 elite female basketball players.

Karen Moore, acting director of athletics, is thrilled with the appointment: “We are so excited to have Anna back with our women's basketball program. When she was a player for the Tigers, she exhibited so many wonderful traits and those have served her well during her career. She is exactly the type of individual we were looking for and I think she will flourish in her new role and ensure the Tigers are nationally competitive well into the future.”