Beloit College Women's Softball

Beloit College Director of Athletics Dave DeGeorge has announced the hiring of Dan Vale as the College's next Swimming and Diving Coach. Vale will assume his post on October 1st. "We are extremely excited to have Dan Vale lead our swim program. He has a strong track record of building programs. His enthusiasm and attention to detail will help our program be strong for years to come" stated DeGeorge.  Vale comes to Beloit from Rockford, Ill. where he spent the last four years as the Senior Director of Recreation at the YMCA of Rock River Valley. A part of his duties there included Head Coach of the Ys swim club. While coaching, he grew the youth swim team from 54 members in 2020 to over 110 in the first year and over 150 in four years. He has led his athletes to the 2023 and 2024 Team District Championships, over 10 national-qualifiers and multiple All-Americans.  Prior to the YMCA, he was the head swim coach at Pacifica Christian High School in Newport Beach, California and the lead senior coach at the Costa Mesa Aquatics Club in Costa Mesa, California.  Vale earned his B.S in Physical Education from Biola University in La Miranda, CA where he was a collegiate swimmer all four years.  In August of 2021, he went on to earn his M. Ed. in Sport Management from the University of Texas in Austin, TX.  "I'm very excited to join Beloit College" noted Vale. "I am eager to be part of a growing athletic department as well as an innovative community."

Kim Zarling became the head coach of the Buccaneer Softball team prior to the 2008 season. A veteran of the collegiate coaching ranks, Zarling came to Beloit after spending 12 seasons as the Head Softball Coach at the University of South Dakota. In those 12 seasons, she became the program’s all-time leader in victories with 325 while guiding her teams to 20-win seasons in ten of the 12 years. In 1998, she led the team to a school-record 40-win season and earned North Central Conference and NFCA Division II North Central Region Coach of the Year honors. Prior to taking the Head Coach position at South Dakota in 1995, she was an Assistant Softball Coach at Minnesota State-Mankato for two seasons. A native of Omro, WI, Zarling graduated from Wisconsin-River Falls in 1991 with a Bachelor’s degree in broad field science, obtained her Master’s degree in Exercise Science in 1995 at Minnesota State-Mankato, and is currently completing a Doctorate in Education from the University of South Dakota. While playing for Wisconsin-River Falls, Zarling was named a Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete (1991). During her senior season, as team captain, she helped lead the squad to a #7 national ranking in NCAA Division III while hitting .325 with a team-high 27 RBI. She earned team MVP and All-WIAC honors in 1991. Year-by-Year Coaching Records

2008 Illinois Boys Diving Coach of the Year