Melissa “Missy” Traversi has been named the new head coach of the Merrimack College women’s basketball program, the college announced on April 6. Traversi joins Merrimack after four seasons as head coach at Army, succeeding Kelly Morrone in leading the Warriors.
The appointment is significant for Merrimack’s athletic department, which aims to build on recent progress within its women’s basketball program. Athletic director Joe Foley said, “Coach Traversi quickly emerged from a highly competitive field of experienced coaching candidates. Her passion and energy are infectious, she’s a proven winner, and she shares our values for holistically developing student-athletes. The future of Merrimack women’s basketball is bright under the leadership of Coach Traversi!”
During her time at Army from 2021 to 2025, Traversi achieved a record of 65-54 and led the Black Knights to three consecutive Patriot League tournament appearances. She also guided Army to a record-setting 25-win season in 2024-25 and secured the program’s first victory in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). Under her leadership, eleven players earned all-conference honors including one Rookie of the Year award in the Patriot League.
Traversi expressed gratitude for her new role by saying, “Something special is happening at Merrimack College and within the surrounding community. It is both a privilege and an honor to be named the next head coach of the women’s basketball program.” She added thanks to President Christopher Hopey, Father Bryan Kerns, and Athletic Director Joe Foley for their trust: “With great enthusiasm, I look forward to developing our student-athletes in their faith, character and competitive excellence both on the court and in the game of life.”
Before joining Army, Traversi coached Adelphi University’s women’s basketball team for five seasons with an overall record of 83-37. There she won two NE10 Southwest Division regular-season championships along with an NE10 Tournament Championship in 2017 while making two NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. She was also named Division II Coach of the Year by Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association during her tenure.
Earlier in her career she led Wheelock College to its first winning season ever (2015-16) after playing collegiate basketball at University of Maine (2001-05) followed by professional play overseas. A native of Attleboro, Massachusetts—and member of Bishop Feehan High School Hall of Fame—Traversi began coaching high school teams before serving as an assistant at Harvard.
