Canisius hires Penn State assistant Tiffany Swoffard to take over women's basketball program

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Canisius University hired Penn State assistant Tiffany Swoffard to coach its women’s basketball team on Wednesday.

It’s a first-time head-coaching position for Swoffard, who has 19 seasons of experience as a college assistant. She takes over the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference program in replacing Sahar Nusseibeh, who was hired by Eastern Michigan last month.

Swoffard will oversee a team in Buffalo, New York, that’s coming off a 17-14 finish — the Golden Griffins’ first winning season since 2008-09.

From Chattanooga, Tennessee, Swoffard previously had two four-year stops at Miami, Ohio, and Toledo, where she served as recruiting coordinator for both Mid-American Conference programs. She also coached at Mercer, Division II Arkansas-Fort Smith and broke into coaching at Rowan University, a New Jersey-based Division III school.

As a player, Swoffard made two NCAA Tournament appearances with Austin Peay in 2001 and ’02.