University of Arizona head coach Mike Candrea, along with assistants Nancy Evans, Larry Ray, Dave Feinberg and student assistant Alicia Hollowell, have been named the 2007 NFCA Division I Coaching Staff of the Year, the association announced Monday.
The UA staff, who also claimed Pacific region honors, will be honored at the 2007 NFCA National Convention that will be held Nov. 28-Dec. 1 at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Candrea and his staff led the Wildcats to a second straight national title and the eighth in program history this past season. UA finished the year 50-14-1 as it fought off five elimination games at the Women’s College World Series en route to hoisting the trophy and earning a final No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll.
The Arizona coaching staff guided the team to a 10th Pac-10 title that earned its 21st consecutive NCAA tournament berth.
Other regional coaching staffs include:
Great Lakes Region
Ohio State University
Head Coach — Linda Kalafatis
Assistant Coaches — Ali Viola, Erica Beach, Kim Doran (Vol. Asst.)
Kalafatis and her staff guided the Buckeyes to a historic season in which they captured the program’s first Big Ten title in 17 years. OSU also won its first Big Ten tournament championship and finished the year 40-18 as it won back-to-back NCAA tournament games for the first time and came one win away from a berth in the Super Regional.
Mid-Atlantic Region
Hofstra University
Head Coach — Bill Edwards
Assoc. Head Coach — Larissa Anderson
Assistant Coach — Ryan Realmuto
Hofstra went 41-15 this season and earned the Colonial Athletic Association championship by winning its 10th straight conference tournament (six in the CAA, four in the America East). The Pride became the first team in NCAA Division I history to win 10 straight conference tournaments. Hofstra won 16 straight games, the second-longest winning streak in school history, and reached the 40-win plateau for the sixth time.
Long Island University
Head Coach — Roy Kortmann
Assistant Coaches — Bill Gehrke and Margie Masters
Kortmann and his staff guided the Blackbirds to a second straight 34-win season as LIU finished the year 34-22 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Long Island earned the berth after capturing its second straight Northeast Conference Tournament championship. The Blackbirds also won a seventh NEC regular season crown this season.
Mideast Region
DePaul University
Head Coach — Eugene Lenti
Assistant Coaches — Liz Bouck, Lindsay Chouinard
Lenti and his coaching staff led DePaul to its fourth Women’s College World Series appearance, where it finished the season with a 47-13 mark. The Blue Demons also finished the year perfect 20-0 mark in the Big East Conference to clinch the program’s first regular season conference crown. DePaul became just the second school in the league’s history to win 20 games and the third to finish conference play undefeated.
Midwest Region
Baylor University
Head Coach — Glenn Moore
Assoc. Head Coach — Mark Lumley
Assistant Coaches — Britni Sneed, Jimmy Hubble
Moore and his Baylor coaching staff guided the Bears to the most successful season in school history as it finished the year 51-16 and advanced to the Women’s College World Series for the first time. The team tied the 2005 squad for the most wins in school history and it clinched the program’s first Big 12 title in addition to the inaugural WCWS appearance.
Northeast Region
Virginia Tech
Head Coach — Scot Thomas
Assistant Coaches — Al Brauns, Tiffany McVay, Alan Bayse (Vol. Asst.)
Thomas and the Hokie coaches guided Virginia Tech to a 49-16 2007 campaign. The 49 victories rank as the second-most in school annals. The Hokies accomplished a couple of firsts in program history as they won the ACC regular-season and tournament titles for the first time while advancing to NCAA Tournament play for the third straight season.
South RegionM
University of Tennessee
Co-Head Coaches — Ralph and Karen Weekly
Assistant Coaches — Marty McDaniel, Stephanie Humphrey-Sayne (Vol. Asst.)
The Tennessee coaching staff guided the Lady Vols to a program-best 63-8 record and a .887 winning percentage as they finished as the national runner-up to Arizona in their third straight trip to the Women’s College World Series. Ranked No. 1 much of the season in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25, the Lady Vols won their first SEC regular-season championship.
Southeast Region
University of Florida
Head Coach — Tim Walton
Assistant Coaches — Jennifer Rocha, Jenny Gladding, Kristen Butler (Stud. Asst.)
Walton and the Gators coaching staff led their squad to a record-setting season, claiming a program-best for wins with a 50-22 mark. UF also claimed record for stolen bases, ERA, opponent batting average, shutouts, fewest runs and earned runs allowed, fielding percentage and errors. Florida advanced to its first NCAA Super Regional after advancing to a regional for the eighth time in 11 years.
West Region
University of Hawaii
Head Coach — Bob Coolen
Assistant Coaches — John Nakamura, Dee Wisneski
Under Coolen’s guidance, Hawaii reached the 50-win mark for the second time in school history as it finished the season 50-13. The Rainbow Wahine claimed the program’s top winning percentage and best conference record at 16-2 to clinch its second Western Athletic Conference title. Hawaii advanced to its first NCAA Super Regional in its seventh NCAA regional appearance.
