Kathy
Stewart is in her 10th season as the head softball coach at NKU.
Stewart is 318-149 in nine years as the NKU softball coach and
is the program’s all-time winningest coach.
Two years ago,
Stewart led her team to a 41-21 record and a fifth consecutive
NCAA Division II Tournament berth. NKU advanced to the championship
round of
the Great Lakes Region Tournament at Edwardsville, Ill., and finished as regional
runner-up
In 2005, Stewart guided NKU to 55 consecutive victories - a collegiate
softball record - en route to the NCAA Division II national finals
at Salem, Va. The Norse
finished with a 55-2 record, won the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament
and regular-season titles, and also captured the NCAA Division II Great Lakes
Region championship for the second straight year.
NKU also vaulted to No. 1 nationally
in the Division II poll for the first time in history and remained
atop those rankings much of the spring. The Norse featured
three All-Americans, including Division II National Player of the Year Krystal
Lewallen.
Stewart was named GLVC Coach of the Year for the third time in
her career.
In 2004, Stewart led
the Norse to 54 victories and the program’s
first-ever NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional championship.
NKU posted a 54-7 record,
finished 19-1 in the GLVC and advanced to the NCAA Division II national finals
at Altamonte Springs, Fla.
In addition, Stewart was named GLVC Coach of the Year.
The Norse were ranked as high as No. 5 nationally in the NCAA Division
II poll and hosted the NCAA
Division II Great Lakes Regional at Highland Heights, Ky.
During the 2003 season,
Stewart guided NKU to a 36-17 record and a berth in the NCAA Division
II Tournament. The Norse defeated West Virginia Wesleyan, 11-2,
in the first round for the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win.
In
2002, Stewart led the Norse to 36 wins and guided NKU to the NCAA Division
II Tournament for the first time in history. The Norse also finished
second in
the GLVC regular-season standings with a 16-3 record.
Prior to accepting the
NKU job, Stewart was the head softball coach at Fairfield (Ohio)
High School from 1992-96 where she compiled a 77-23 record. A 1988
graduate
of NKU, Stewart led Fairfield to three Greater Miami Conference championships
and was named GMC Coach of the Year in 1994 and ’96. |