Amanda (Braden) Theriault is Westfield State’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball. The 1998 Westfield State graduate poured in 1,526 points during her stellar four-year career, averaging 14.0 points in 109 games played. 

Considered one of the best pure shooters in Westfield State history, Theriault also holds school career records for field goals made (547) and attempted (1,202) and free throw percentage (.766, 429 for 560). She has 758 career rebounds (6.9 per game) and 226 steals.

The 5-10 forward was a key member of Westfield State squads that posted four consecutive 20-win seasons and participated in two NCAA Tournaments and two ECAC Tournaments. The Owls captured two regular season conference championships and posted an aggregate record of 84-28 during her collegiate career.

Theriault was a first-team all-conference selection, team MVP, and team captain during her junior and senior years. She came to Westfield as a highly touted recruit from Worcester’s St. Peter Marian High School, where she scored 1,100 points and was the Central Mass. free throw shooting champion for two years.

Theriault coached for nine years following her graduation from Westfield, including two years as an Owl assistant coach. She was the junior varsity coach at Chicopee Comp High School in 2001 and 2002 then served a five-year stint as Chicopee High School’s head coach. In 2006 she was the Western Mass. Division I coach of the year, leading Chicopee High School to a runner-up finish in the Western Mass. tournament.

Theriault remains active in sports as an instructional coach for the soccer and basketball youth programs in Palmer and as a board member of the Palmer Youth Basketball Association. She is a sixth grade English language arts teacher at Edward Bellamy Middle School in Chicopee and received the PTO Merit Award in 2010. She has been a student council adviser for the past seven years.

Theriault and her husband, Kris, reside in Palmer with their daughters Madalyn (7) and Charlotte (3). Amanda is the second Hall of Famer in the Theriault household as Kris was inducted into the Fitchburg State Hall of Fame in 2001. He was a national champion and four-time All-America in the mid 1990s and still holds the NCAA Division III championship record in the javelin throw.