HEATHER STONE NAMED SOFTBALL COACH AT WESTCONN

     Heather Stone has been named Head Softball Coach at her alma mater Western Connecticut State University, announced Ed Farrington, Director of Athletics.
     Stone, a 1994 WestConn graduate and 2001 inductee into the WCSU Athletics Hall of Fame, had been the Head Softball Coach at the United States Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point) since 2000.
     She takes over a program which was headed by 17-year veteran coach Alicia O'Brien who resigned earlier this month to become Senior Women's Administrator and Associate Head Softball Coach at Central (Iowa) College in Pella, Iowa.
     Stone, Kings Point's winningest coach in the team's 12-year history, compiled a record of 110-121-1 in six season at the helm. She guided the team to back-to-back Skyline Conference Tournament titles and its only two NCAA Championship berths in 2003 and 2004. Her teams won 23-plus games in '03 and '04, including a program-record 28 wins in 2004.
     This past spring, the Mariners came back to finish with a 17-24 overall record after opening the campaign at 0-12. They finished an impressive 15-4 in the Skyline Conference.
     A two-time Skyline Conference Coach of the Year, she was also named the 2004 U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Coach of the Year. In 2005, USMMA bestowed its first Power of Inspiration Coaching Award on the New Hampshire native.
     Stone was the Head Volleyball Coach at Kings Point for the past two seasons. During her brief tenure, the Mariners twice finished runners-up to the Skyline Conference Championship and totaled a combined record of 33-25.
     Prior to arriving at USMMA, Stone was the assistant softball coach at BYU-Hawai'i. She also served as an assistant coach for three seasons at Christopher Newport, and for one season at WestConn following graduation.
     Stone held numerous offensive records upon graduation. She still holds the Colonials' career game-winning RBI record (10).
     O'Brien bestows a program to her former all-star catcher that has gone 423-213-3 and made 13 post-season appearances since 1990.
     This past spring, the Colonials finished with an impressive 28-18 record and appeared in their eighth NCAA Tournament. The Colonials have won 24 or more games 11 straight seasons and for the 12th time in the past 13 campaigns (22 wins in 1995).