Arendsen to lead softball program

Kathryn Arendsen is the first head coach of the new women's softball program, which will begin play next spring.

Arendsen comes to Mississippi State after a successful four-year career at Yale University where she posted a 90-73 overall record and guided Yale to three consecutive winning seasons, including the school's first Ivy League championship since 1980.

Prior to her career at Yale, Arendsen was a head coach at Eastern Illinois University and Western Connecticut State, and an assistant coach at Northwestern University.

Arendsen is a member of the USA Softball's National Team Selection Committee, which chose the U.S. coaches and players for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. She also is a member of the Amateur Softball Association's Board of Directors and was inducted into the ASA National Hall of Fame earlier this year.

She received her bachelor's degree in physical education from California State University-Chico in 1980.