Joe Haigh requested and was granted a leave of absence from his role as Saint Francis head women’s basketball coach on Nov. 13.

In his absence, SFU Director of Athletics Susan Robinson-Fruchtl – who previously served as Red Flash head women’s basketball coach from 2007-12 – has assumed interim head coaching responsibilities of the program.

“We will work to the best of our abilities and take it one day at a time to continue to mentor and develop our student-athletes,” said Robinson-Fruchtl.

Robinson-Fruchtl led the Red Flash to 74 wins from 2007-12 and Northeast Conference titles in 2010 and 2011. She also served as the head coach at Providence for four years. She is currently in her fourth academic year as Director of Athletics.

As a player at Penn State, she was awarded the Wade Trophy, which goes to the best player in NCAA Division I.

“Our student-athletes have been great to work with and we really appreciate that they have come in each day with a positive attitude and growth mindset,” said Robinson-Fruchtl.

After graduating from Penn State in 1992, Robinson-Fruchtl played for a U.S. Select Team that toured Europe. She also played professionally in Japan for one season.

Robinson-Fruchtl is one of only two players in Penn State women’s basketball history to accumulate 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

“With Susan’s past coaching experience, it was a perfect fit for her to coach during this time period,” said Jim Brazill, SFU’s Senior Associate Director of Athletics.

The team is currently 1-4 and returns to action on Saturday at Longwood at noon.