Hartney Promoted to Head Dance Team Coach; Fuchs Named Assistant Dance Team Coach

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – St. Joseph’s College (Brooklyn) athletic director Frank P. Carbone recently announced the promotion of Kelly Hartney to Head Dance Team Coach and the hiring of Lauren Fuchs as Assistant Dance Team Coach.

The former Diamonds were both members of the dance team during the 2011-12 season when they made their first ever appearance at the UDA Nationals at Disney World led by former head coaches Nicola O'Connor and Linda Laquidara. After five years at the helm of the Diamonds, O'Connor stepped down to focus on her family and newborn baby.

Under the direction of Hartney this past summer, the Diamonds collected 12 superior ribbons at the UDA College Spirit Camp which was the highest possible for the team to earn.

Hartney, a 2012 alumna of St. Joseph’s, brings a tremendous amount of experience as she has danced at a competitive level for 17 years. The Ozone Park native attended the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts where she studied ballet and modern dance before enrolling at St. Joseph’s in 2008 where she was a part of the SJC Diamonds all four years and was captain for two years. Hartney is currently a special education teacher in the NYC Department of Education.

Fuchs, a 2013 alumna of St. Joseph’s, also brings a stellar resume to the team as she has danced for 20 years competing on the competition team at her studio since she was in first grade while earning numerous awards. The Woodside native also attended the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts where she was a dance major before enrolling at St. Joseph’s in September of 2009. Fuchs graduated with a bachelor of arts in child study and will be entering her first year as a kindergarten teacher starting this September.

All women interested in joining the Dance Team are invited to their fall tryout on Tuesday, September 10 at 6:30 pm in the Tuohy Gym. All are reminded that they need to be medically cleared by the Sports Medicine Staff in order to participate in the tryout. For any questions, please contact Coach Hartney at khartney@sjcbears.com.