Sports NewsCalendar

Mayfield's Mutterings -- Current posting: Sports, cars, the Chief and community

Sports News Elsewhere (fresh daily from the Web)

Monday, July 10

Fischer's staff garners another top honor    Send a link to a friend

[JULY 10, 2006]  NORMAL -- As if being recognized as the top coaching staff in the Missouri Valley Conference wasn't enough, Illinois State head coach Melinda Fischer and her assistants have been recognized as the Speedline/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year.

Fischer's staff, which includes assistant coaches Tina Kramos and Bill Kennedy and volunteer assistant Bill Dickson, collected the top honor after guiding Illinois State to an overall record of 38-16, including the program's first NCAA tournament berth since 2001.

En route to the NCAA regionals, Fischer's squad swept a pair of road games against Missouri State, winning the regular-season conference crown in a dramatic fashion, to claim the team's first Valley championship since 2003. At the league's annual postseason banquet on May 10, the Illinois State staff members were honored by their peers as the Valley Coaching Staff of the Year. Four Redbirds were also named to the all-conference first team.

The 2006 season was especially significant for Fischer, as the 23-year coaching veteran picked up her 700th career victory on April 15 with a shutout against Evansville. She now owns a 712-483-3 record, with an impressive .594 winning percentage.

[to top of second column]

Lacy Lee Baker, executive director of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, felt that Fisher's fellow coaches made a good decision by selecting the Redbird coaching staff as the recipient of the award.

"Being chosen as the Speedline/NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year is a tremendous honor, as it is voted on by fellow coaches to recognize the top staff in each region," said Baker. "The award reflects the outstanding season Illinois State enjoyed, and Melinda Fischer and her staff are very deserving of this honor."

The Illinois State coaching staff will be honored, along with the national winners from all other divisions, at the 2006 NFCA National Convention in Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 6-9.

[Illinois State University news release provided by Kristen E. Greenstreet, media relations graduate assistant]

LDN sports sponsored by:

    

< Sports index

Back to top


 

News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries

Community | Perspectives | Law & Courts | Leisure Time | Spiritual Life | Health & Fitness | Teen Scene
Calendar | Letters to the Editor