Former Ferris State standout Rachel Folcik begins her second season as a member of the Gannon women’s basketball coaching staff in 2012-13. She was hired on June 17, 2011 to replace Meredith Baugher, who resigned to accept an assistant position at NCAA Division I Evansville.
Folcik came to Gannon after serving as a graduate assistant coach the previous two seasons at former Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) rival Ferris State. She provided assistance with on-court instruction, working primarily with the post players. In addition to being Ferris State’s camp director, Folcik was involved in all aspects of recruiting. She helped recruit several student-athletes ranked in the Michigan Girls Basketball Report (MGBR) Top 25. Her duties also included team travel arrangements, visiting team accommodations, scouting reports and film breakdown.
“We are very happy to have Rachel join our coaching staff,” said Wright upon her hiring. “She was a great post player for Ferris State and one of the best in the GLIAC during her playing days. She is a relentless worker and I have no doubt she will be an excellent coach here at Gannon.”
Gannon fans will recognize the name as Folick scored 16 points during an 80-61 victory over the Lady Knights in the second round of the 2007 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional. She also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds during a 96-83 victory at the Hammermill Center during the 2006-07 regular season.
Folcik initially spent one season as a professional player in Portugal following her collegiate playing days. She led Clube Desportivo da Povoa in scoring and rebounding while averaging 40 minutes per game. Her performance helped secure one of 12 spots in the league’s All-Star Game.
A 2007-08 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first-team recipient, Folcik twice picked up All-America honorable-mention honors on the hardwood for the Bulldogs and was named to both the NCAA Division II State Farm Coaches’ and Women’s Division II Basketball Bulletin Honorable-Mention All-America teams following the 2007-08 campaign. She was also both a Daktronics All-Great Lakes Region first-team selection along with being named to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Region 4 first team as a senior. Folcik was honored as an All-GLIAC North Division first-team pick and a GLIAC North Division All-Defensive Team selection for the second straight year during her final campaign.
Folcik concluded her Ferris State career second all-time in career points (1,705) and was only 16 points shy of Lucy DeMartin’s school record. The former 6-foot-1 post player converted a school-record 677 career field goals and is second all-time in rebounding (793). In 2007-08, Folcik was the squad’s leading scorer (19.5) and rebounder (8.3) despite missing the last two regular-season games with an injury. She reached double figures in scoring during 25 of her 27 contests while posting 12 double-doubles. The 2006-07 NCAA Division II Kodak/WBCA Honorable-Mention All-American was named to the All-Great Lakes Region first team during both of her final two collegiate campaigns.
Folcik finished her final collegiate season ranked second among GLIAC players in scoring (19.5), second in free throw percentage (.833) and third in rebounding (8.3). She reached double digits in scoring 81 times during 113 career contests. Also, Folcik scored 20 points or more 12 times during the 2007-08 campaign with three performances of 30 points or more.
As a junior in 2006-07, Folcik led the Bulldogs to a school-record 23 wins (23-9) and the program’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen. Folcik set Ferris State school records that season in field goals (241) and points (602) while her 261 rebounds represented the second-highest seasonal figure in FSU history. The two-time team captain, who averaged a team-best 18.8 points in 2006-07, reached double figures in scoring 27 times as a junior and notched 13 double-doubles. Folcik also averaged a squad-best 8.2 rebounds in 2006-07. She ranked second among GLIAC players in scoring, second in field goal percentage (.555), second in free throw percentage (.860) and fifth in rebounding.
