The University of Maine women’s basketball team’s 62-48 win over the University of New Hampshire was a special one for Black Bears head coach Amy Vachon.
It was her 168th career win and that made her the program’s all-time winningest coach, surpassing her former coach Joanne Palombo-McCallie.
Vachon has now compiled a record of 168-92 for a winning percentage of 64.6. She has gone 111-32 against America East opponents for a 77.6 winning percentage.
Her 111 conference wins are third best in league history and her 77.6 winning percentage is fourth-best all-time.
The Black Bears have played in seven America East tournament championship games under the former UMaine point guard.
She is 17-4 in America East postseason play and the 17 wins are fourth most all-time in league history.
Four of her teams have registered 20-win seasons including, a career-best 25-8 mark during the 2018-19 season.
She was the second fastest coach to post her 100th conference win on Feb. 24, 2024. UMaine beat the New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey, 72-46.
She was named the interim head coach, replacing Richard Barron when he went on medical leave, midway through the 2016-17 season. She earned her first win on Jan. 7, 2017, with a 72-40 triumph over the University of Maryland Baltimore County at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
On April 5, 2017, the interim tag was removed and she became the head coach.
In her first full season, she led UMaine to a 23-10 record, the conference regular season and tournament championships and an NCAA Tournament berth.
The Black Bears repeated the following year and they won their third league tournament and earned another NCAA berth last season.
Augusta native Vachon is the only head coach in league history to be named the Coach of the Year five times.
Her teams have never been seeded lower than third for the America East tournament.
