University of Minnesota Athletics
Softball Coaches Will Not Be Renewed
5/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Minneapolis - University of Minnesota Director of Athletics Joel Maturi announced today that the contract for Golden Gopher softball co-head coaches Lisa Bernstein and Julie Standering would not be renewed and that new leadership would be sought for the program. The contracts for both coaches are set to expire on June 30.
"I want to thank Lisa Bernstein and Julie Standering for their commitment to Minnesota softball," Maturi said. "They have put their heart and soul into this program and we appreciate all that they have done. However, at this time, I feel that new leadership is needed to achieve the level of success, in all areas, that we expect for Golden Gopher athletics."
Assistant and pitching coach Piper Marten will also not be renewed for the 2011 season.
Bernstein and Standering each came to Minnesota in the fall of 1991, and first took the field in the 1992 season. Each came from the University of Arizona, where Bernstein was an assistant and Standering was the starting shortstop on the 1991 National Championship team. In that 1992 season Bernstein became the fourth head coach in program history, while Standering joined the staff as an assistant.
In five seasons under Bernstein, the Gophers finished in the top four of the Big Ten four times, including an NCAA Tournament berth in 1996. In 1997, Standering was promoted and the two shared the title of co-head coaches together leading the Gophers to four more NCAA Tournaments over the next seven years and winning a Big Ten Tournament title in 1999.
"Our staff has enjoyed our time in Minnesota," Bernstein said. "The team is filled with hard working softball players who excel in all facets, including in the classroom, and represent the University of Minnesota to the utmost. We wish them nothing but success in the years to come."
Together, Bernstein and Standering, have won nearly 600 games and guided six players to All-America status. A total of 34 of their players have earned All-Region laurels from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA), while 39 have been recognized with All-Big Ten accolades. Furthermore, three of their players have garnered Academic All-America honors, while 104 have been named to the Academic All-Big Ten team.
The coaching duo was also instrumental in the vision of Jane Sage Cowles Stadium, which opened in 2000, giving Gopher Softball one of the finest facilities in the nation. Cowles stadium hosted the NCAA Regional in 2002, and saw one of the best attendance numbers in the field's history when 612 watched the Gophers open tournament play with a 2-1 win over Princeton.
Five players in the Bernstein-Standering era went on to play professionally after their collegiate careers, highlighted by Steph Klaviter, who was the Women's Professional Softball League Pitcher of the Year in 2000.
The Golden Gophers finished the 2010 season with a 16-37 overall record and a 2-17 mark in Big Ten play.
According to Maturi, a national search for the next Golden Gopher softball coach will begin immediately.
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