LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Each month, the NFCA will highlight one of its corporate sponsors, allowing an inside look at those who support the NFCA and the sport of softball. For our January spotlight, we feature Garland Cooper, Director of Softball and Partner Development for NCSA. Cooper was a three-time NFCA All-American (two-time first team) and Big Ten Player of the Year during her illustrious four-year career at Northwestern. The 2012 NU Hall of Fame inductee helped the Wildcats to a pair of Women's College World Series appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2006. She was a first-round selection of the New England Riptide in the 2007 National Pro Fastpitch College Draft.

What does your company do?

NCSA helps student-athletes find opportunities to play the sport they love at the college of their dreams. We connect student-athletes and their families to college coaches, guide families through the process with our recruiting experts’ years of knowledge, and offer suggestions to studentathletes on how they can become better college recruits. We have a complete range of recruiting solutions — from a digital service to fully-guided experiences — to better connect athletes, colleges and coaches. Over the past 16 years, we’ve grown to become the undisputed leader in college recruiting solutions. We’ve helped more than 100,000 student-athletes commit to a college and continue to evolve our products and services to meet the needs of college-bound recruits.

NFCA member benefits?

NCSA’s partnership with the NFCA provides the softball community with the education, tools and resources they need to help every student-athlete earn college opportunities and a path to becoming the Next College Student-Athlete.

What inspired your company to partner with the NFCA?

We know first-hand the power of athletics, and, like the NFCA, we believe helping student-athletes and the entire softball community, is an important endeavor. It’s what drives us every single day. In fact, our team is made up of former athletes and coaches — some at the professional level — who have been through the recruiting process and know exactly what families are going through. That’s why, with the help of the NFCA, we offer extensive education and advice to every student-athlete so they can discover new opportunities and have an understanding of which college programs are the best fit for them.

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“NCSA is a first-class organization! Their team works tirelessly to provide cutting-edge recruiting resources to softball players and coaches. NCSA provides education and stateof-the-art technology to assist in the everchanging recruiting process. Our NFCA camps offer an ideal environment where NCSA can assist parents, players, and coaches. The information NCSA provides is outstanding. We truly appreciate NCSA’s support.”

— Carol Bruggeman, NFCA Executive Director 

On the Web - www.ncsasports.org

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