Jessica Peatross enters her first season as Salem University’s Head Women’s Basketball coach for the 2022-23 season.
Prior to Salem, Peatross spent 3 seasons at Delta College, located in Michigan. There she was the Associate Head Coach from 2019-2020 and Head Coach from 2020-2022. While being the Head Coach, Peatross also held the roles of Assistant Athletic Director & Sports Information Director of Athletics and Marketing for Delta College Athletics.
During her time at Delta College, Peatross was named Coach of the Year in 2021. She also helped the Pioneers secure a Conference Championship, ranked #20 in the Nation, (2) Freshman of the Year, (2) Defensive Players of the Year, (2) Players of the Year and (2) All-Americans.
- Student-Athletes with Awards of:
- 2 All-Americans
- 2 Player of the Year
- 2 Freshman of the Year
- 2 Defensive Player of the Year
- 3 All-MCCAA & All-Region
- 3 All-Defensive Team
- 3 First-Team All-Conference
- 3 All-Freshman Team
- 5 Second-Team All-Conference
- 6 Honorable Mention
- 2021 MCCAA North Conference Champions
- 2021 Regional Runner-up, Ranked #20 in the Nation, and Record of10-5
- 2022 Regional Runner-up with Record of 21-8
A native of Lansing, Michigan, Peatross graduated from Holt High School in 2010. There she was twice named All-State honorable mention in basketball. She holds the school record for career assists at Holt and is a member of the 1,000-point club. In her senior year, Peatross was named Lansing State Journal (LSJ) Female Athlete of the Year as well as LSJ All-Decade Team and LSJ Dream-Team for both basketball and golf.
Peatross received a Division I scholarship to play golf, basketball, and track at Chicago State University. There she was also an active member of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Peatross is a 2014 graduate of Chicago State University with a BA in Communications. After completing her playing career at Chicago State University, she continued her education at Valparaiso University where she received her MA in Sports Administration, Information & Marketing in 2016. While there, she joined the Women’s Basketball program as a Graduate Assistant, assisting with daily practice planning, player development and social media marketing and more.
Using her experience at the D-I level as the foundation of her playing and learning, Coach Peatross is unceasingly focused on motivating, as well as teaching the importance of academics, commitment, perseverance, and dedication to all student-athletes. Peatross is also a member of Women Leaders in College Sports and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
