Lady Lancers and Coach Dawn Karpell Make History

By: Cathy Padilla | April 1, 2022 |  |  Holmdel

FEATURED PHOTO: Saint John Vianney Lady Lancers • Back Row, left to right: Paige Knutsen, Marie Hallund, Mikaela Hubbard, Meg Calahan, Head Coach Dawn Karpell, Ashley Sofilkanich, Charlotte Dooley, Janie Bachmann • Front Row, left to right: Zoe Brooks, Julia Karpell, Bre Delaney, Aleena Dinker, Ashley O’Connor, Ciera Cevallos, Madison St. Rose | CREDIT: Carmela Caracappa

After more than 30 years of deciding the number one team in the state in various sports, the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Tournament of Champions (TOC) is crowning its last teams after the November 2021 decision to discontinue the tournament.

Many schools and sports programs have made a name for themselves in the TOC since it began in the 1980s, but one team stands out among the exceptional as the most-winning girls’ team in any sport in the state of New Jersey – Holmdel’s St. John Vianney’s (SJV) Girls Basketball Team. Not only do the Lady Lancers have a long history of success, but the current players have taken their legacy to a whole new level.

Many are calling the Lady Lancer lineup the best ever in NJ girls basketball history, with the 2022 season setting several records. After their stellar season, post-season wins included the Shore Conference Tournament and the Non Public A State Championship, which is SJV’s 18th state title in program history (17 Non Public A and one Non Public B) and a state record. But one goal remained for the team – to win the only game left and the only title that had eluded them thus far this season – the very last Tournament of Champions to ever be played. On March 20, the Lady Lancers not only cemented their reign as the most-winning team by defeating Rutgers Prep 72-52, they added to SJV’s all-time record for the most TOC wins in girls’ basketball history bringing the total to eight (2022, 2016, 2009, 1999, 1997, 1995, 1993, 1991).

The victory also extended the Lady Lancers’ in-state winning streak to 74 games, with 2019 marking the last time they fell to a New Jersey opponent. Only twice during that span did the team lose a game: in 2020 to New York Long Island Lutheran, and this year to the top-ranked team in the country, Washington D.C.’s Sidwell Friends.

Although the players change at least every four years, for the past 16 years one person has remained constant – the Varsity Girls Basketball Coach Dawn Karpell. An alumna of SJV Class of ’95, Coach Karpell’s high school team won two TOC titles, four State Championships, and three Shore Conference Tournament titles. She was All-Shore, All-County, and All-State (non-public) scoring more than 1100 points in her high school career. A seventh-grade social studies teacher at Thorne Middle School in Middletown, Coach Karpell is married to Jeff Karpell who teaches and coaches at Rumson Fair Haven High School. They live in Holmdel with their mini goldendoodle Holley and their three children: Sarah, a junior at Fordham University who plays on the basketball team (SJV alumna); Julia, a sophomore at SJV who plays on the basketball team; and Jake, a fourth grader. We caught up with Coach Karpell to share her thoughts at this special time in Lady Lancer history.

PHOTO: The Lady Lancers celebrate winning the Tournament of Champions! | CREDIT:  SJV Lady Lancer Basketball

CM: Why did you become a coach? 
Coach Karpell: I grew up playing basketball and always took an interest in learning all parts of the game. I knew once I was done playing I was going to become a coach as I always loved the ‘x and o’ side of the game. As I have grown as a coach, one of the things I have become most passionate about is improving my players. I take great pride in them getting better as a team and individually each time we are in the gym. Many of the girls that play in our program aspire to play on the college level, so I take great pride in preparing them for that and want them to be successful on that level as well.  

CM: Why did you choose SJV?  
Coach Karpell: Before SJV, I coached one year at Keansburg High School and four years at Holmdel High School, and when the opportunity to coach at SJV came up I went for it.  I played at SJV from 1991-1995 so when I had the chance to return as a coach, it was my dream position. To coach where I had played and had the best memories of my high school experience was a really special opportunity. 

CM: What is it like coaching a team for which you once played?
Coach Karpell: I had the most amazing time as a high school athlete while attending SJV. The girls on the team that I played with were my best friends. We still talk and are in each other’s lives today. We played for coaches that coached us and worked really hard with us each day to improve during the season and in the off season (Nick Russo, Bill Bulman, and Brad Hagasen). Looking back on how they coached us, it was really special because they allowed us to play an athletic, fun style and that was not the norm for girls at the time. Another special part about my time at SJV was the success we had. Obviously we won a lot, but we had so many people from the school community and local community that came to our games and supported us. I have such fond memories of playing in front of sold-out crowds in many big games. It was a special time to play and be a part of our team.

1.)Coach Dawn Karpell holds the last Tournament of Champions trophy with her daughters, Julia (left) and Sarah. CREDIT: SJV Lady Lancer Basketball 2.)CREDIT: Matt Kipp

CM: How do you feel about the NJSIAA ending the TOC?
Coach Karpell: It makes me feel really sad. I have fond memories of playing in the big games as a player. When your team makes it to that tournament you have such a feeling of accomplishment. Being given the opportunity to play at the Meadowlands and to see yourself on the jumbotron was just so special. I also feel extreme disappointment that future players are not going to be able to experience it. There is something to be said that you are the undisputed number one team in the state. And lastly, I feel angry because I have yet to hear a good reason as to why it is being canceled. From a female athlete’s perspective, although our opportunities are growing to make a living on the professional level, we are still not even close to the same level as men. I have read studies that most female athletes will hit their athletic peak in name recognition in high school and college. With rules changing on the high school and NCAA front with NIL (name image and likeness), female athletes have a great opportunity to grow themselves in these highly visible games. Doing away with the TOC is taking an opportunity away from the girls to be viewed on this platform, to be interviewed, to be photographed, to be treated equally like their male counterparts. As a strong advocate for growing our game and teaching our girls life lessons through sports, this is taking an opportunity away from young females. 

CM: How has this affected the players?
Coach Karpell: To be honest, because of Covid and the tournament being cancelled, we have not had an opportunity to play in a TOC the last two years. Only the senior class would have had a chance to participate, but we lost early in states in 2019 so the entire current team had not had a chance to play in a TOC until now – but I know they really wanted the opportunity to play in it this year. It was the goal of the team to win the last ever TOC.

CM: What makes this team special?
Coach Karpell: We are the true definition of a team. We currently have a roster of girls that will all go on and play college basketball with as many as 10 being potentially division one players. (Five have committed and three others have offers). So many sacrifice individual recognition and stats to be a part of the team. This is not easy, but our girls are all competitive and trust the coaches to put them in the position to be successful. Sounds easy but it is not, and the girls embrace it for our team to be a national power.

PHOTO: SJV Varsity Girls Basketball Coach, Dawn Karpell | CREDIT: Carmela Caracappa

CM: The most rewarding part of your career?
Coach Karpell: I have often said when I went into coaching I did not think hard about mentoring student-athletes. I thought the position would be more about the stats, but that is only a small part of what goes into coaching. I have found helping the girls get recruited and choose a college that suits them both athletically and academically has been incredibly rewarding. Another rewarding part is seeing the process of them coming in as freshmen and graduating as seniors. It is so fun to see them develop, mature, and grow into confident young women both on and off the court. On a personal note, I have been able to coach both my daughters in Lady Lancers uniforms. The fact that I get to share this time with my daughters and they get to play on such a great team is unique and really special. Another cool aspect is as an alumna to see your daughters share in the same experiences and be a part of the same school community is special as well.

CM: The most challenging part of coaching? 
Coach Karpell: Disappointment. There are times when a player or team might not achieve the goal that was set. Dealing with the disappointment of that is really hard.  Obviously these are life lessons, but when you go through them with a player or a team it is challenging. Finding the right words, or being able to put it into perspective, can be difficult even as an adult.

CM: Best coaching tip to share?
Coach Karpell: Be honest with your players. If you are honest with your players, and tell them where they stand, and why you feel the way you do, it builds trust. Once a player trusts you she will do anything you ask her to do. Another tip is that they know that you love them. I tell them all the time I love them, but that is why I am going to coach so hard because I do not just want you to be good, I want you to be great.

CM: What do you do when you are not working?
Coach Karpell: Besides coaching the ‘big girls’, as I call it in the off-season, I run a youth program called Jersey Shore Elite and I train and coach younger players in grades 3-8. I love being in the gym with the younger girls as they are like little sponges.  It is really refreshing and I love to ‘grow the game’ in this way. I find it really rewarding.  The other thing my family and I love is to vacation in Disney. We try to go yearly and really enjoy our family time together. It’s fun to escape and do all the theme parks together.

CM: Is there anything you would like our readers to know?
Coach Karpell: Encourage young girls to start playing and understand that sports build so much in young girls outside of the game.  The life skills, relationships, and friendships that are formed are really special and can last a lifetime. 

Photo Credit: Laura Bruen

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