The Great Danes set a program record by winning 38 games and advanced to the championship game of the America East Tournament for the fifth straight season last year. Meagan Butsch was named the league's co-player of the Year after breaking school records for home runs in a single season and in a career. Leah McIntosh became the fourth Great Dane in seven seasons to be awarded pitcher of the year after throwing four perfect games. Both players were named to the all-conference first team as well as All-Northeast Region selections by the NFCA. Kristine Bill, Gina Mason and Kat Smith were placed on the all-league second team.

UAlbany won the league's regular-season championship in 2008 and compiled a 34-17 record. The Great Danes hosted the America East Tournament for the first time and advanced to the championship game for the fourth straight season and the fifth time in six years. Senior left fielder Amber Maisonet, who graduated as the program's all-time leader in hits (233) and runs scored (151), and McIntosh were named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I All-Northeast Region second team, while Butsch joined the duo on the All-America East first team. Sophomores Michelle Connors and Bailey Van Deest garnered all-conference second-team honors, while Mason and Andrianna Walraven landed on the all-rookie squad.

UAlbany won its third straight America East Conference championship in 2007, defeating UMBC in the tournament final to advance to the NCAA Regionals for the third consecutive year. The Great Danes, who posted a 35-17 record, became the first America East program to advance to the regional final, defeating Harvard and host Hofstra before falling to nationally-ranked Baylor. Senior Kelly Ogden earned her third all-conference award, and was joined on the first team by Maisonet and Connors. Connors was joined by McIntosh on the all-rookie squad, while Casey Halloran, who completed her career as one of the most successful pitchers in UAlbany history, earned all-conference second-team honors. Both Ogden and Halloran finished at the top of several UAlbany career charts in their four seasons under Cannata's guidance. Ogden finished tops in hits (202), RBI (156) and doubles (38) while Halloran is the career leader in wins (73), complete games (68), innings pitched (650.2), games started (97) and appearances (125).

In 2006, Cannata's squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Great Danes were crowned America East Conference tournament champions after winning two of a three-game series with Boston University. The team then traveled to Amherst, Mass., where they faced off against Massachusetts and Texas A&M in the NCAA Tournament. Cannata coached the America East Conference pitcher of the year for the third time in four seasons as Halloran earned the honor by posting a 27-10 record and a school-record 252 strikeouts. Six other Great Danes earned all-conference honors.

In 2005, UAlbany posted its second straight regular-season conference title, while leading the conference with a .306 batting average, and advanced to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament. Eight Great Danes received all-conference honors, including rookie of the year Maisonet and pitcher of the year Amanda Morin. Morin and Ogden were each named to the NFCA All-Northeast Region Team.

Cannata's squad registered its second consecutive 34-win season in 2004. The Great Danes won their first regular-season conference championship at the Division I level with a 17-2 league record. UAlbany led the America East in hitting, and four players were named to the all-conference first team, while two were selected to the second team. Pitcher Andee Lindgren was honored as the 2004 America East Player of the Year after being named the conference's pitcher of the year in 2003. Lindgren was also a two-time selection to the NFCA's Northeast Region Team.

Cannata guided the Great Danes to their first appearance in the America East Conference championship game in 2003. During UAlbany's debut season in the America East in 2002, Cannata led her squad to a 12-12 league mark while finishing 30-20 overall.
In UAlbany's eight seasons in the conference, Cannata has coached 28 players to the first team, 14 to the second team and 12 to the all-rookie team, including Maegan Larsen and Maisonet, who went on to win the league's rookie of the year award in 2003 and 2005, respectively.

Cannata led the Great Danes through their transition from the Division III to the Division II level in 1996 and the upgrade to Division I in 2000. UAlbany finished with a 27-9 record in its inaugural Division I campaign, concluding with an ECAC regional tournament appearance.

In 1999, UAlbany totaled a then school-record 33 victories on its way to the Division II ECAC Mid-Atlantic Championship and a second-place finish in the New England Collegiate Conference. Cannata was named the NECC Coach of the Year when UAlbany won its first-ever conference championship in 1998, with a 32-9 record, and was awarded an ECAC Tournament bid. During the Great Danes four-year stay in Division II, she guided the program to a 101-55 record for a .647 winning percentage and three trips to the ECAC playoffs.

Prior to her appointment at UAlbany, Cannata was the head coach at Voorheesville High School, where her team captured the 1994 Colonial Conference and New York State Section II titles. She was also a member of the Adirondack Ice, an area major fastpitch team, and played for 10 years on the Adirondack Region Empire State Games squad.

A native of Port Jefferson, N.Y., Cannata received a bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in finance from UAlbany in 1985, where she was a member of the school's basketball and softball teams. She earned her master's degree in kinesiology from Texas Women's University through its online program in 2008.