Kristen (Schmaelzle) Lavelle, class of ’99, was a standout women’s basketball player in her four-year career at Westfield State. She earned numerous post-season accolades and stamped her name in the record books. 

Schmaelzle played in 109 games and was a part of three 20 win-teams. She was a first team all-conference selection in 1999, part of the all-conference second team in 1998, and was the Massachusetts Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (MAIAW) Athlete of the month in February of 1999.

Schmaelzle scored a total of 1,161 points, graduating as the fifth all-time leading scorer in the history of the program, and ranks 10th all-time at Westfield at the time of her induction. She pulled down 659 rebounds, and garnered 138 steals in her career at Westfield State. She holds the school career record for field goal shooting percentage (.511) shooting 481 for 902 in her four years. She also holds the WSU season record in field goal percentage (.602), shooting 154 for 256 in her senior year. 

The Westfield women’s basketball team posted an aggregate record of 80-30 during her four-year career. The Owls won two Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference championships, participated in one NCAA Tournament and two ECAC Tournaments.

Schmaelzle played one year of varsity soccer as a freshman at Westfield, playing in 21 games as a freshman, before choosing to focus on basketball after problems with shin splints. In high school, Schmaelzle lettered in four sports, soccer, track, basketball and softball at Agawam High School. She earned all-Western Mass honors in soccer basketball and softball and was also named the Dinn Brothers Athlete of the year. 

???????Schmaelzle’s leadership skills carried over to the coaching field. She was the interim head coach at Westfield State College in 2000 and was the assistant coach at Holyoke Community College from 2002-2006. Schmaelzle then made her way to high school as a varsity assistant coach of softball at West Springfield from 2000-2007. Today, she works as a teacher at JFK Middle School in Enfield, Conn.

Schmaelzle received her Master’s Degree in Reading from American International College in 2006 and her Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Administration from Westfield State University in 2011. 

She currently resides in Feeding Hills, Mass., with her husband Eric, and two sons Owen (10) and Aiden (9).