JOHNSON EARNS 300TH VICTORY
3-30-06
CALDWELL, N.J. - Caldwell College head softball coach Dean Johnson
tallied the 300th win of his career when the Cougars defeated Eckerd
College, 3-2 on Mar. 20 at the Rebel Spring Games in Kissimmee, Fla.
Johnson, who began the season with 298 victories, picked up win No. 299
earlier in the day with a 7-1 win over Southern New Hampshire.
"The milestone is more of a reflection of the success of the program
over the years than anything else," said Johnson, who has an overall record
of 307-151 in 11-plus seasons at Caldwell heading into today's doubleheader
at Queens College. "It's a credit to the quality of the student-athletes in
our program who have worked hard and sacrificed to achieve both in the
classroom and on the field."
Before the start of the 2006 season, Johnson ranked 29th in winning
percentage (.674) and 42nd in victories among all active NCAA Division II
softball coaches. A four-time Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Coach
of the Year, Johnson and assistant coach Barbara Zafiris were named
the Northeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2004 by the National
Fastpitch Coaches Association. That year, Johnson and the Cougars won the
CACC and Northeast Region tournaments to advance to the Women's College
World Series en route to a 45-7 record and a No. 7 final national ranking.
Caldwell is the two-time defending CACC regular-season and tournament
champions, compiling a record of 85-18 during that span.
"Looking
back, we won a total of 25 games in my first two years," Johnson said. "But
now we've won at least 25 games in each of the last seven seasons, and it's
because of the commitment of our players to build this program into what it
has become."
Johnson, the associate director of athletics in charge of compliance
at Caldwell College, also has served as an assistant men's basketball coach
at Caldwell for the past 16 years. A 1986 graduate of the University of New
England, he earned a Master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from
Caldwell College in 1997. Originally from Belgrade Lakes, Maine, Johnson
resides in Denville, N.J., with his wife Christine and daughter Katelyn.
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