Clarkson University Women's Softball

McGaughey is entering her fifth year at Clarkson University, but she just completed her third season as the head coach of the Golden Knights recently formed Softball program. After spending the 2012-13 academic year forming the Clarkson Softball program, the Golden Knights posted a 6-26 record with all new collegiate players in 2014. Since then, the Golden Knights have come into their own the past two seasons with back-to-back winning records and a combined mark of 38-27. Clarkson was within a game of its first Liberty League post-season appearance in 2016 after going 20-14 overall and 5-7 in the Liberty League. McGaughey has already guided eight different players to all-star status, including the program's first all-region players, Jamie Bridge and Summer Lancette, in 2016.  Prior to coming to Clarkson, McGaughey served as the assistant coach for the softball team at Bethany College in West Virginia. McGaughey is no stranger to overseeing the startup of an athletic program, having served as the head coach for the newly reinstated womens field hockey team at Bethany in 2011-12. During her time as the Bisons Field Hockey Head Coach, McGaughey was recruiting student-athletes, ordering equipment, creating a schedule and carrying out all the other necessary responsibilities that are required to form a team. She will perform similar duties in her first year at Clarkson. In her four seasons on the Bisons softball staff under head coach Jan Forsty, McGaughey helped Bethany to 101 victories, including a school-record 35 in 2010. After going 14-2 in the PAC during the 2011 regular season, BC swept three straight in the tournament to claim the conference championship and a trip to NCAA Regionals. It marked the third straight postseason trip during McGaughey's tenure, as Bethany also earned a pair of bids to the ECAC Tournament, highlighted by a runner-up showing in 2010. A native of Massillon, Ohio, McGaughey was a standout softball player at Division II Ashland (Ohio) University from 2004-08. She finished her collegiate playing days ranked third in career home runs (19) and fifth in career RBIs (99) at Ashland. McGaughey earned First Team All-Great Lakes Region and Second Team All-GLIAC as a junior in 2007 after slugging 11 home runs and driving in 38 while batting .355. As a senior, she hit three home runs and had 32 RBIs to receive Honorable Mention all-conference honors. McGaughey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Ashland in 2008 and a Masters of Science in Athletic Coaching Education from West Virginia University in 2011.

Kristen McGaughey became the Clarkson University Softball program's first head coach when the program was started in 2012, and she is now entering her 13th season guiding the Golden Knights in 2025-26. The Golden Knights enjoyed their most successful season in the program's brief history during the spring of 2017 when the team reached the championship round of the Liberty League Tournament. It was Clarkson's first time in the post-season and the team produced a record of 22-17 against stiffer competition than in its previous seasons. For her efforts, McGaughey shared the conference's honor of Liberty League Coach of the Year. During the 2019 campaign, the Golden Knights surpassed their previous win total with 25 victories and reached the conference tournament for the second time in three years, gaining their first ever regional ranking in the process. This past season, the Knights reached the Liberty League Tournament for the second straight season as the third seed, winning 22 games. McGaughey was selected as the Liberty League Coach of the Year for the second time in her career in 2025.  In her first 12 seasons at the helm of the fledgling program, McGaughey has recorded 191 victories and a .486 winning percentage. After spending the 2012-13 academic year forming the Clarkson Softball program, the Golden Knights posted a 6-26 record with all new collegiate players in 2014. Following that formative year, the Golden Knights produced back-to-back winning records and a combined mark of 38-27. Clarkson was within a game of its first Liberty League post-season appearance in 2016 after going 20-14 overall and 5-7 in the Liberty League. In a dozen seasons, McGaughey has already guided 20 different players to all-star status, including Liberty League Rookie of the Year, Liberty League Pitcher of the Year, and Liberty League Player of the Year student-athletes. Most recently, Devin Fitzpatrick earned NFCA All-Region status in 2024 and 2025, and was chosen as the Liberty League Player of the Year in 2025.  Prior to coming to Clarkson, McGaughey served as the assistant coach for the softball team at Bethany College in West Virginia. McGaughey is no stranger to overseeing the startup of an athletic program, having served as the head coach for the newly reinstated women’s field hockey team at Bethany in 2011-12. During her time as the Bison’s Field Hockey Head Coach, McGaughey was recruiting student-athletes, ordering equipment, creating a schedule and carrying out all the other necessary responsibilities that are required to form a team. She will perform similar duties in her first year at Clarkson. In her four seasons on the Bison’s softball staff under head coach Jan Forsty, McGaughey helped Bethany to 101 victories, including a school-record 35 in 2010. After going 14-2 in the PAC during the 2011 regular season, BC swept three straight in the tournament to claim the conference championship and a trip to NCAA Regionals. It marked the third straight postseason trip during McGaughey's tenure, as Bethany also earned a pair of bids to the ECAC Tournament, highlighted by a runner-up showing in 2010.  A native of Massillon, Ohio, McGaughey was a standout softball player at Division II Ashland (Ohio) University from 2004-08. She finished her collegiate playing days ranked third in career home runs (19) and fifth in career RBIs (99) at Ashland. McGaughey earned First Team All-Great Lakes Region and Second Team All-GLIAC as a junior in 2007 after slugging 11 home runs and driving in 38 while batting .355. As a senior, she hit three home runs and had 32 RBIs to receive Honorable Mention all-conference honors.  McGaughey earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Ashland in 2008 and a Master’s of Science in Athletic Coaching Education from West Virginia University in 2011. She and her wife, Rachel, have three young children.

Marc Danin is entering his fifth season as the head coach for the Clarkson University Swimming & Diving program for the 2025-26 season. Under the guidance of Danin, the Golden Knights broke 13 school marks in 2024-25, seven for the men and six for the women, including some that were two or three decades old. The prior year, eight school records were broken in 2022-23, including four individual marks, with three accomplished by first-year collegians. Clarkson's men placed fourth in the Liberty League Championships for the second straight season, while the women took eighth.   A 2016 graduate of Oswego State with a degree in English, Danin most recently worked as assistant coach and aquatics manager at Vassar College, though the Brewers did not compete in the 2021 season due to the pandemic. Before his stint at Vassar, Danin served as assistant coach for St. Lawrence University while working on his graduate degree in Educational Leadership. While serving as assistant for the Saints, Danin was responsible for training programs as well as individualized strength and conditioning programs based on events and goals. He also developed video analysis to improve upon the St. Lawrence swimmers' approaches to their individual events. While coaching in Canton, Danin also served as head swim coach at the Northport Yacht Club, leading a group of 145 athletes from the ages of 5 to 18. Prior to his stint at St. Lawrence, Danin served as coach for Islanders Aquatics in Sayville, NY, where he served as coach and mentor to four athletes to score in the top thirty spots at the NSCA Junior Nationals, with two having nationally-recognized top 25 times in the country for their respective events and age groups.  

Devin Fitzpatrick is entering her first season as the top assistant for the Golden Knights’ Softball program in 2025-26. Fitzpatrick graduated from Clarkson University this past spring with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Her four-year stretch with the Golden Knights was an impressive one, as she was named the Liberty League Player of the Year and an NFCA Region III All-Region First-Team selection after a standout 2025 campaign. Fitzpatrick led the conference in home runs, runs batted in, slugging, innings pitched, and saves. She was in the top 10 in home runs per game (.41) and was in the top 30 in both slugging and RBI per game. From the pitching circle, Fitzpatrick was sixth in the conference in earned run average (2.08), second in strikeouts (90), fourth in wins (13), and fifth in opponents’ average (.249) while posting a 1.15 WHIP.  She finished her career at Clarkson as the program’s all-time leader in home runs (24), RBI (94), and slugging (.668) despite having only 335 total at bats in four seasons. Fitzpatrick will continue her education in Potsdam, seeking her MBA.  

Finn Halstead is entering his second season as the Clarkson University Swimming and Diving team’s Assistant Swimming Coach for the 2025-2026 season.  A graduate of Clarkson University, Halstead earned a bachelor's degree in Engineering and Management while competing on the Swimming and Diving team for three years. Competing in numerous different events as a Golden Knight, Halstead appeared in the Liberty League Championships during the 2022-23 and 2021-22 seasons for the 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle events. In addition to these events, he also featured in the 50 butterfly, 200 individual medley, 50 breaststroke and 100 breaststroke as one of the team's most versatile members.  Along with his role with the team at Clarkson, Halstead was also a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Board, volunteered with the Potsdam High School swim team and is the Treasurer of Tau Kappa Epsilon. 

Bernat is entering his second season as the diving coach for the Golden Knights in 2025-2026. A graduate of Husson University in Bangor, Maine, Bernat earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management while as a member of the Swimming and Diving and Men's Soccer teams. Competing in diving and freestyle, Bernat compiled an impressive resume of results over his five year career with the Eagles, being named North Atlantic Conference Diver of the Week a total of 21 times while.  During his sophomore year, he set numerous different personal bests in the 50-yard freestyle, the 50 yard backstroke and in the one, five and six meter dives while clinching the North Atlantic Conference men’s one-meter diving championship. As a junior, Bernat repeated as the NAC one-meter diving champion while also earning All-New England honors after finishing second overall in the one-meter dive at the New England Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Association meet. In his senior year, he defended his claim as the NAC one-meter diving champion and was named the North Atlantic Conference Diver of the Year, recording three first-place finishes in four meets. As a grad student, Bernat earned nine wins, four runner-up and two third-place finishes in 11 meets while capturing the NAC one-meter diving championship, for the fourth consecutive year, finishing runner-up in the Metro one-meter dive, winning the NAC three-meter diving championship and was named the NAC Diver of the Year for the second straight season.  In addition to an impressive swim and dive career, Bernat also brings experience in social media management, working with the Mystic Schooners of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, while also working as a coach and lifeguard during his time at Husson.