Former KSU women's coach Berenato named to Georgia Tech hall of fame

Marietta Daily Journal, Ga.
·2 min read

Apr. 20—Former Kennesaw State and Georgia Tech women's basketball coach Agnus Berenato is heading to the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

The school announced its class of 2021 class late Monday afternoon. Berenato is part of a class that also includes tennis player Irina Falconi, softball player Jen Yee, track and field athlete Alphonso Jordan, football players Travis Bell and Vance Walker, baseball player Derek Dietrich and basketball player James Forrest.

Berenato guided Georgia Tech to six postseason appearances and won 223 games over a 15-year tenure with the Yellow Jackets. She led them to the 1992 Women's National Invitation Tournament championship and berths in the NCAA tournament in 1993 and 2003, as well as three other appearances in the Women's NIT.

In her time at Georgia Tech, Berenato coached three All-Americans in Joyce Pierce, Kisha Ford and Sonja Mallory. She was named Georgia Coach of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club in 1992, as well as by the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and 2000.

The Georgia Tech induction will make her a member of three athletic halls of fame. Berenato was previously inducted at Rider University, where she first became a head coach, and Mount St. Mary's, her alma mater.

Berenato's service went beyond the basketball court at Georgia Tech as she helped generate two endowed scholarships in the name of late player Mandy Miller, and she was active in soliciting donors for the renovation of Alexander Memorial Coliseum before the 1996 Olympics.

All of Berenato's players who completed their eligibility at Georgia Tech went on to graduate from the college.

After leaving Georgia Tech, Berenato went on to coach 11 seasons at Pittsburgh and the last six at Kennesaw State before she announced her retirement in March.

Berenato and the class of 2021 will be recognized Oct. 1 as part of a ceremony with 2020 inductees Morgan Burnett, Chesson Hadley, Amanda McDowell, Deck McGuire, Aileen Morales, Gal Nevo and George O'Leary.