Honors & Accomplishments
• Ivy League Tournament participant (2019)
• Ivy League Champions (2008)
• ACC Honor Roll (2001, 2002)
• Top 10 in Wake Forest history for single season assist-to-turnover ratio and 3-point FG%
• Top 10 in Wake Forest history for career assist-to-turnover ratio and 3-pointers made
Coaching Experience
• Assistant Coach, Cornell University (2003 - Present)
• Assistant Coach, University at Albany (2002-03)
Education
• B.A., Elementary Education, Wake Forest University (2002)
At Cornell
Val Klopfer is set to begin her 20th season on the sidelines for the Big Red, entering her second season as an associate head coach on Dayna Smith's staff. Klopfer works with all aspects of the program, serving as the team’s recruiting coordinator and helping Cornell develop some of the best guards in program history.
A former starting guard at Wake Forest, Klopfer has been an integral part of the Big Red's success over the years, helping her teams set school records for wins, non-conference wins, and conference wins in a single season. In 2007-08, she helped Cornell capture its only Ivy League championship and earn its first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. With Klopfer on the sidelines, the Big Red has earned five top-four Ivy League finishes, surpassing the number of top-half finishes achieved by Cornell in the 20 years prior to her arrival. In 2018-19, Klopfer guided Cornell to one of its most impressive performances to date, as the team, chosen to finish eighth in the Ivy League Preseason Media Poll, placed fourth in the conference to advance to the Ivy Tournament for the first time in the three-year history of the league's postseason play.
From the 2012-13 season to the 2016-17 season, Cornell embarked on a five-year span in which it posted a winning non-conference record, the longest streak in program history. To date, the Big Red has recorded a winning non-conference slate in seven of the last eight seasons.
Working with primarily with the guard core during her tenure, Klopfer’s mentees own five of the top 10 spots in Cornell’s all-time career assist list. Under her watch, five former Big Red guards rank among the top-10 for career 3-point field goal percentage, while 10 sit within the top-15 for career 3-pointers made. At the 2022-23 season, guard Ania McNicholas ranked in the nation's top-40 in steals (75), and top-20 nationally in steals per game (2.78), ranking number one and number two, respectively, in the Cornell record books.
As a team, Cornell has finished the season ranked among the NCAA’s top 100 in assists per game five times, including a high of 43rd in the 2019-20 campaign. The Big Red distributed the ball beautifully, as five Cornell student-athletes concluded the season ranked in the top-25 in the Ivy League in assists per game. The Big Red has also finished the season ranked in the NCAA’s top 100 in assist-to-turnover ratio five times, with a high of 21st during the 2015-16 season.
Prior to Cornell
Klopfer worked as an assistant at Albany during the 2002-03 campaign. She assisted with a variety of the program’s duties, including game and practice preparation, along with recruiting. In its first season in the America East, Albany was one of five teams in the nine-team conference to post a winning record on its home court at 7-6. The Great Danes finished the season with a 9-18 overall record and a 3-13 conference mark.
Playing Career
Klopfer was a four-year letter winner at Wake Forest and finished her career ranked seventh all-time in school history in 3-pointers made. A dean’s list student and a two-time member of the ACC Honor Roll, she started in 53 contests, including every contest her sophomore season. In addition to recording a 1.17 assist-to-turnover ratio for her career, the fourth-highest at the university, Klopfer also posted top-10 marks in single-season assist to turnover ratio and 3-point field goal percentage.
Klopfer is a 1998 graduate of Bishop Maginn High School where she lettered in basketball and track. She helped the school’s basketball team to an 84-9 record and four conference titles during her four years.
Personal
A native of Albany, N.Y., Klopfer resides in Ithaca.
*Updated July 2023
