July 3, 2006

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern head coach Kate Drohan, associate head coach Caryl Drohan and assistant coaches Tori Nyberg and Amanda Rivera have been named the Speedline/NFCA Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) announced today.

Drohan and her staff guided the Wildcats to a national runner-up finish at the 2006 Women's College World Series, the team's first appearance in the final eight since 1986. Northwestern's run in Oklahoma City earned the squad a No. 2 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA and the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 final polls, the best ratings in the team's history.

Northwestern finished the season with a 50-15 mark, the program's first 50-win season, and claimed its first Big Ten title in 20 years.

The Wildcats' staff also was named the Mideast Region Coaching Staff of the Year -- the second-straight season NU's coaches have earned that honor.

The Northwestern staff will be honored along with the national winners from other divisions at the 2006 NFCA National Convention in Tucson, Ariz.

In an interesting sidenote, Northwestern alum Kelley Green (1993-96) is the head coach of the 2006 Speedline/NFCA Division II Coaching Staff of the Year after leading Lock Haven to a 56-4 record and the NCAA Division II national title, the first national title in Lock Haven's history.