Lisa Maria Fernandez is an American former softball player and current associate head coach at UCLA. She played college softball at UCLA as a pitcher and third baseman, and is a three-time medal winning Olympian with Team USA.
The Drake Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletics teams that represent Drake University, located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The Bulldogs' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level. Drake also sponsors teams in the Pioneer Football League, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, and Summit League. Drake's live bulldog mascot is Griff II; the costumed mascot is Spike; and the school colors are blue and white.
Amanda Louise Freed is an American, former professional softball utility player and pitcher. She played college softball for UCLA, winning the national title for the Bruins in the 1999 Women's College World Series. In two other national runner-up finishes, she was also named All-Tournament in all her appearances at the world series. She later won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2005, Freed joined the National Pro Fastpitch and played until 2008 for the defunct Rockford Thunder. She also served as a coach for Virginia.
Tairia Mims Flowers is an African-American former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, softball player and current head coach at Loyola Marymount. She played college softball as a third baseman for the UCLA Bruins from 2000 to 2003, winning a national championship in 2003 and ranking top-five in school career RBIs and home runs. Flowers also helped them to two runner-up finishes and was named a three-time All-Tournament honoree. Flowers won a gold and silver medal as part of Team USA at the 2004 Summer Olympics and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Gillian Dewey Boxx is an American, former collegiate four-time All-American, Gold Medal winning 1996 Olympian, right-handed softball catcher, originally from Torrance, California. She won an Olympic gold medal as a catcher on the United States women's national softball team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Boxx played collegiate softball at the University of California at Berkeley from 1992-95 in the Pac-12 Conference, where she ranks in several records and was a Second Team and three-time First Team All-Conference athlete. She is also the older sister of former United States Women's National Soccer Team midfielder Shannon Boxx.
Lori Harrigan-Mack is an American, former collegiate All-American, right-handed hitting, left-handed softball pitcher originally from Anaheim, California. She was a three-time Olympic Champion as a member of the Team USA winning in 1996, 2000 and 2004. Harrigan played collegiately from 1989–1992 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas where she owns numerous records; she is the Big West Conference career leader in shutouts and innings pitched and is a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.
Michele Mary Smith is an American, former collegiate All-American, two-time medal-winning Olympian, international professional left-handed hitting fastpitch softball pitcher and current sports commentator, originally from Califon, New Jersey. Smith played her college career for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls for the years 1986–89, where she set numerous records in the now defunct Big Eight Conference. She is also a double Olympic Softball gold medalist with Team USA, having played in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics. She has been ESPN's lead college softball color analyst since 1998. In 2012, Smith became the first woman to serve as commentator for a nationally televised Major League Baseball game. Smith is a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.
Lovieanne Jung is a Filipino-American, former collegiate All-American, two-time medal winning Olympian, retired softball player. She began her college softball career at Fresno State as a second baseman, then transferred to Arizona and played as a shortstop. She represented the United States women's national softball team winning a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Andrea Jane Duran is an American, former collegiate All-American, medal-winning Olympian, professional four-time All-Star softball player. She played college softball at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Pac-12 Conference, where she was named to the all-conference team twice, and Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2006. She also won two national championships in 2003 and 2004, and was named to the All-Tournament team in 2006. She won a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. On the Olympic team she played third base and outfield. Duran was undrafted but later played professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch, being named the 2014 Player of the Year and winning three Cowles Cup championships with the USSSA Pride.
Christie Ambrosi is an American, former collegiate All-American, gold-medal winning Olympian, right-handed softball player and current Head Coach, originally from Overland Park, Kansas. She attended high school at Blue Valley Northwest High School. Ambrosi was a shortstop and outfielder for the UCLA Bruins in the now-named Pac-12 Conference from 1996-97, 99, winning a national title in her final year and was named All-Tournament. She later helped Team USA to a gold medal in the Sydney Olympics. Ambrosi held several coaching positions and is now head of the SVSU Cardinals softball team.
Jennifer Lynn Brundage is an American, former collegiate All-American softball player and current associate head coach for Michigan. She played college softball for the UCLA Bruins from 1992 to 1995 and won the 1992 Women's College World Series. Brundage was named Honda Sports Award for softball as Player of the Year in 1995. As a part of Team USA softball, she won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
Jennifer Yvonne McFalls is an American, former collegiate All-American, gold-medal winning Olympian softball player and current head coach originally from Grand Prairie, Texas. She is head of the Kansas Jayhawks softball. team She played college softball at Texas A&M as a utility player and shortstop. She then went on to represent Team USA, being named an Olympic alternate in 1996 and a member of the 2000 team that won gold. After her years playing softball McFalls decided to become a coach with her first position as the assistant coach at Texas A&M. Mcfalls continued to coach for many years with several different schools at many different competitive levels. She was the head coach of the National Pro Fastpitch professional softball team, the Dallas Charge for their inaugural season.
Michelle Ruether Venturella is an American, former collegiate All-American, gold medal winning Olympian, left-handed softball player and former Head Coach, originally from South Holland, Illinois. Venturella played for the Indiana Hoosiers in the Big Ten Conference, being named a three-time all-conference honoree and the 1994 Player of The Year. She later served as an alternate for the 1996 Olympics and then winning a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics for Team USA softball. She is the former head coach at Washington University in St. Louis.
Sheila Marie Cornell-Douty is an American, two-time Gold Medal winning Olympian and former collegiate right-handed softball first baseman, originally from Woodland Hills, California. Cornell-Douty won two National Championships with the UCLA Bruins in 1982 and 1984. After graduating from UCLA she played for the Stratford Brakettes from 1988 through 1994. She also competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where she received a gold medal with the American team. She was also a member of the American gold winning team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2006, and the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame in 2007.
Dionna M. Harris is an American, former collegiate right-handed softball second baseman and outfielder, originally from Wilmington, Delaware. She played two years for the defunct Temple Owls softball team from 1989 to 1990 in the Atlantic 10 Conference, where as a junior was named Player of The Year. She was also an Olympic champion and competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Kim Ly Maher is a Vietnamese-American, former collegiate All-American, Olympic champion, right-handed softball player and current Head Coach originally from Fresno, California. She competed in college for the Fresno State Bulldogs in both the Big West and Western Athletic Conference from 1991-94, ranking in the latter for career batting average (.401) for her last two years and leading them in two semifinal finishes at the 1991 and 1992 Women's College World Series, being named All-Tournament for both events. Maher won gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics with Team USA. Maher is head of the SWOSU Bulldogs softball team.
Shelly Stokes is an American, former collegiate All-American and Olympic champion, right-handed softball player originally from Sacramento, California. Stokes was a catcher for the Fresno State Bulldogs in the Big West Conference from 1987-90. She led them to three back-to-back runner-up finishes in the 1988, 1989 and 1990 Women's College World Series, also being named All-Tournament in the 1989 series. Stokes would go on to win gold with Team USA in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Julie M. Smith is an American, former collegiate All-American, gold-medal winning Olympian softball player and coach. Smith played college softball for Texas A&M and Fresno State. She represented Team USA at the 1996 Summer Olympics and won a gold medal. Smith most recently served as the head softball coach and assistant athletic director at the University of La Verne.
Christa Lee Williams-Yates is an American, former collegiate three-time All-American, two-time Gold Medal winning Olympian, retired three-time pro All-Star, right-handed hitting softball pitcher originally from Houston, Texas. She competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where she received a gold medal with the American team. Four years later at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, she won her second gold medal. Williams-Yates began her college career with the UCLA Bruins in 1997 before transferring to play softball with the Texas Longhorns (1998–99). Joining in its inaugural year, she played three years in the National Pro Fastpitch with the Texas Thunder (2004–06) and still ranks top-10 in career wins, strikeouts, ERA among other records. In 2018, Williams-Yates was named to the USA National Softball Hall of Fame. Currently, Williams-Yates teaches high school softball in Kingwood, Texas.
Nicole Newman is an American, former collegiate All-American, right-handed batting professional softball pitcher, originally from Madison, Wisconsin. She attended La Follette High School in Madison. She later attended Drake University, and suited up for Drake Bulldogs softball team, where she owns numerous records. She is also the Missouri Valley Conference career leader in no hitters, perfect games, strikeouts and strikeout ratio; the latter also ranking top-10 in all the NCAA Division I. In her senior year, Newman threw five perfect games during the 2019 NCAA Division I softball season to lead Drake softball to a Missouri Valley Conference softball title and a berth in the 2019 NCAA Division I softball tournament. After graduating from college, Newman was selected by the Aussie Peppers of National Pro Fastpitch in the third round of the 2019 NPF Draft. Currently she is a part of the Minnesota Golden Gophers softball coaching staff.
