CUC appoints Alison Aguilar Haehnel as head softball coach
RIVER FOREST, Ill. -- Concordia University Chicago has named Alison Aguilar Haehnel as its head softball coach. Aguilar Haehnel succeeds Katie Brennan and begins her duties with the program immediately.

The Concordia position is the first as a head coach for Aguilar Haehnel who previously was an assistant coach at Washington College in Maryland (2005). St. Mary’s College of California (2006) and her alma mater, the University of Illinois at Chicago (2007 and 2008). “I am grateful to Concordia’s administration for selecting me as the head softball coach and thrilled to have the opportunity to build the Cougar program as a top competitor in our conference,” Aguilar Haehnel said.

While most of Aguilar Haehnel’s playing and coaching experience has been at Division I schools, her year in Maryland familiarized her with the Division III philosophy of athletics. “Division III offers many different opportunities for its student-athletes,” Aguilar Haehnel said. “Students can follow their unique passions and interests and enjoy many diverse opportunities in addition to their experiences on the playing field, and I am happy to be entering into this type of a setting on a full-time basis.”

Aguilar Haehnel credits several coaches for helping her prepare for the opportunity at Concordia. “The head coaches I have worked under at UIC and St. Mary’s have been great mentors. They gave me a lot of autonomy in developing the pitching staff and have shared their knowledge in every aspect of their programs.

“I have also been privileged to learn from Northwestern’s coaching staff – Kate Drohan, Caryl Drohan and Tori Nyberg,” she said. “Their knowledge of the fundamental game of softball as well as building the culture of the team is unrivaled and will be a daily reference for me. Mike Dee, the head baseball coach at UIC, has been instrumental in my transition into the role of head coach by generously sharing his insights and leadership knowledge from a slightly different perspective. Their collective input will be an invaluable resource in my development as a head coach.”

Aguilar Haehnel was a four-year standout pitcher with the UIC Flames from 2000 to 2004. She remains in UIC’s top ten in 11 different pitching categories, both season and career. Among her career stats are 139 appearances (second), 64 wins (fifth) and 489 strikeouts (fourth). Aguilar Haehnel was named conference Pitcher of the Year twice, first in 2002 for the Midwest Collegiate Conference and again in 2004 for the Horizon League, and was honored with second-team All-Region accolades both years. Her collegiate career was highlighted by two no-hitters thrown six days apart: March 10, 2002, against the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and March 16, 2002, against Fordham University.

Aguilar Haehnel earned her B.A. in English in 2004 and M. Ed. in instructional leadership in 2008 from UIC. She and her husband David Haehnel reside in Chicago.

Courtesy of Concordia University Chicago, Sports Information Department, June 29, 2009.