Brooklyn Kohlheim will enter her 6th season as the leader of the Lakers. Kohlheim arrived in Erie after a brief stint as the head coach at Lake Erie College. She has more than 14 years of playing and coaching experience throughout the NCAA Division I and Division II levels.
The 2023-24 season proved to be Kohlheim's best season, leading the Lakers to an overall record of 18-11 and a conference record of 14-8. Mercyhurst also tied a program record, rattling off 11 wins in a row. As a team, the Lakers shot 42% from the field. It was also the first time in 6 years the Lakers made the PSAC post season.
Kohlheim led the the Lakers to a 14-14 overall record in 2022-23. The Lakers got off to a hot start offensively, scoring 107 points against Millersville in just their second game of the season. The performance is the sixth occasion in which the Lakers have scored 100 or more points in a game. Shooting also improved as the team's three-point percentage spiked to 36.8%. The Lakers not only led the PSAC in this category, but they were eighth-best in the nation. There were a total of four players who shot 37% or better from deep proving to be a force to be reckoned with from beyond the arc.
The 2021-22 season saw Kohlheim lead the Lakers to a 9-19 mark, with a 7-15 record inside of PSAC play. The team bounced back from a rough start, winning four of five games throughout December and early January, picking up wins over East Stroudsburg, Mansfield, and Clarion. Mercyhurst's highlight win was an 89-60 blowout victory over Seton Hill, who was receiving national votes at the time. Junior Jayde Boyd, and redshirt freshman Grace Centrulla, were both named Second Team All-PSAC West.
The 2021 campaign saw Mercyhurst post an 11-6 overall record. 2021 consisted of a complete non-conference schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mercyhurst got out to a strong start going 5-0 to match the best start in program history since the 2016-17 season. The Lakers were competitive all season and earned an impressive 64-55 road win at No. 24 American International College. They ended the season going 4-2 over their final six contests.
Prior to her arrival at Lake Erie, Kohlheim was an assistant coach at Michigan Tech, in Houghton, Mich. As an assistant, she spent the 2017-18 season with the Huskies and helped lead them to a 23-6 overall record. The Huskies climbed as high as 13 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Poll.
After a great regular season, Michigan Tech was crowned the GLIAC North Champions and received an at-large bid into the 2018 Division II NCAA Tournament. The team also finished the season with the highest team GPA in Division II.
Prior to coaching at MTU, Kohlheim was an assistant at Nova Southeastern, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She helped lead the Sharks to back-to-back Sunshine State Conference Tournament titles (2013-14 and 2014-15). She also played a key role in solidifying two regular season conference titles (2012-13 and 2014-15). During that time, NSU made two Elite Eight appearances – in 2013-14 and 2014-15. They also reached the Final Four in 2013-14.
At Nova Southeastern, Kohlheim helped build the program into one of the premier programs in all of NCAA Division II. She helped lead the team to three consecutive years of being ranked in the Top 25, including a No. 1 overall ranking.
Kohlheim began her collegiate coaching career spending two seasons at the University of Indianapolis, where she assisted the team and helped them to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009-10.
As a student-athlete, Kohlheim played basketball at Florida Southern College, an NCAA Division II school where she was a four-year starter. She earned SSC All-Freshman Team honors in 2002 and led the Mocs to an SSC tournament title and NCAA appearance in 2003.
Off the basketball court, Kohlheim enjoys spending time with her two dogs, Edith and Ethel, and is a two time Erie PA Horseshoe Champion (2022, 2023).
Coach Kohlheim's Lakers Career Record
| Year |
Wins |
Losses |
PSAC Wins |
PSAC Losses |
Notes |
| 2019-20 |
8 |
20 |
8 |
14 |
----- |
| 2020-21 |
11 |
6 |
---- |
---- |
No PSAC play due to COVID-19 |
| 2021-22 |
9 |
19 |
7 |
15 |
----- |
| 2022-23 |
14 |
14 |
10 |
12 |
----- |
| 2023-24 |
18 |
11 |
|
|
|
| Overall |
60 |
70 |
39 |
49 |
|
