Nazareth College Women's Softball

Margaret Yerdon-Grange was named the Softball head coach at Nazareth University in July of 2023, taking the reigns as the first full-time softball coach in program history.  In her first season in 2024, two Golden Flyers were named to the Empire 8 All-Conference Teams.  Yerdon-Grange came to Nazareth after 19 seasons at the University of Rochester where she was the head coach for 14 years. She led the Yellowjackets to 345 wins and seven trips to the NCAA Tournament including a pair of trips to the NCAA Finals (2014 and 2021), as well as 12 appearances in the Liberty League playoffs. In 2023, she led the squad to a school-record 38 wins for a 38-9 overall record and a third consecutive Liberty League title. The Rochester coaching staff was named the National Fast-Pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. In 2014, Yerdon-Grange led the Yellowjackets to their first ever trip to the NCAA Division III Finals after earning a Liberty League title, a Regional Championship and a comeback win the in the Super Regional. In the consolation bracket of the Super Regional against Rowan, Rochester posted back-to-back shutouts to earn the trip to the Finals in Tyler, Texas. In 2021, Rochester made a second trip to the NCAA Finals with another Liberty League title and a 4-0 mark in the Erie Regional to advance to Salem, Virginia for the Finals. The Yellowjackets lost a pair of heartbreaking single-run games and finished 7th in the final NCAA Division III rankings. Yerdon-Grange and her staff earned Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2014 and 2021. In addition, she coached the team to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012, 2015 and 2016. Prior to Rochester, Yerdon-Grange was an assistant coach at Binghamton while pursuing her master's degree in social sciences with a concentration in Public Administration. She earned a BA degree in English and Sociology from Binghamton in 2001. While a player at Binghamton, she helped the team transition from NCAA Division III to the Division I level. She was a Division II All-Region selection in 1999 and a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) All-Conference pitcher in 1999 and 2000. In 2002, she was named the America East All-Conference Designated Player and was voted the team MVP for a second time (also in 1999). She graduated with several school records and is still the Binghamton record holder for season ERA (0.90 in 1998), Division I era season ERA (1.58 in 2002) and career ERA (1.40). She resides in Webster with her husband Nick and four children, Lincoln, Dexter, Bentley and Landry.

R.C. Weston ‘10 was tabbed to guide the swimming and diving programs at Nazareth in August of 2025.  Weston brings over 15 years of competitive swimming and coaching experience to the position, most recently serving as an assistant coach/recruiting coordinator for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs at the University of Massachusetts. While there, he helped the program finish sixth in the Atlantic 10 Conference with over 40 percent of the team being made up of freshman. Academically, the teams were each in the top-25 of the country in GPA at 3.57 and 3.52, respectively.   Prior to his stint at UMASS, Weston served as the head coach of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges teams from 2019-2024. As the head coach, Weston was in charge of practice planning, training, recruiting, academic advisement, along with athlete and personnel development. In four seasons, Weston compiled a 22-13 record in dual meets, while increasing the level of competition, including growing a women's team of eight to a competitive team of 24. Weston has also guided both Hobart and William Smith swimming and diving teams to 12 CSCAA Scholar All-America Team honors, being awarded with the accolade every single semester he was in charge. Before his time at Hobart and William Smith, Weston spent five years as the head swimming coach at Alfred State SUNY College of Technology. During the 2018-19 season, he led the Pioneers to their best finish at the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championships with both the women's and men's teams finishing in second place. He saw 18 swimmers and divers receive individual AMCC titles since 2017 and broke over 100 school records in his first three seasons at Alfred State. Weston also mentored six AMCC Divers of the Year, while his teams earned nine CSCAA Scholar All-America Team awards. Before his time at Alfred State, Weston was an assistant coach at Binghamton for a year, overseeing the men's and women's distance training group and the mid-distance/stroke group.    Weston also served as the head coach and aquatics director at Milligan College (Tenn.), where he guided swimmers to set 31 new school records. He also helped the team to 12th at the 2013 NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championships. A native of Phelps, N.Y., Weston graduated from Nazareth in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Upon graduation, Weston was a part of 1 individual and three relay school/pool records. In 2010, he finished 3rd in the 200 backstroke and sixth in the 100 backstroke at the Empire 8 Championships.    He held the Niagara District Record in the 18-24 age group in the 400-yard individual medley for nine years. Also, an avid golfer, Weston was a member of the varsity golf team at Nazareth.  

Doug Schneider joined the Golden Flyers' athletics staff as a part-time track and field coach and works primarily with the men's and women's throwers. He came to Nazareth after a career in secondary education that included stints of 18 years at Penfield High School and 16 years at Spencerport High School. As a high school track coach, he guided nine athletes to All-American honors and led five teams to Section Five titles. He also coached for the Western Region team in the Empire State Games. A high school art teacher, Schneider graduated from Herkimer Community College and SUNY Brockport.

Mackenzie Storrs 24’, a four year member of the Golden Flyers’ swimming and diving teams, is returning as the graduate assistant coach for the '25-'26 season. During her time on the team Storrs competed in the 200 IM and 400 IM as well as the breaststroke events. In 2024 she graduated with a degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and is currently working on her master’s in Speech-Language Pathology. Originally from Red Hook, NY Storrs swam competitively and coached for her club team Northern Dutchess Aquatic Club (NDAC). She has also been a lifeguard and private swim instructor since she was 15.   

Nazareth alum Elizabeth Tripp joined the staff for the 2025-26 season, guiding the divers.  A five-year standout for the Golden Flyers, Tripp's career culminated in qualifying for the 2024-25 NCAA Division III Diving championships where wsh placed 20th on the 1-meter board and 28th on the 3-meter board.  She was twice named the Empire 8 Diver of the Year in 2022-23 and 2024-25. In 2024-25, she won both the 1 and 3-meter boards at the conference championships.  Overall, she won the 3-meter board at the Allegheny Empire meet three times (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25)  and twice in the 1-meter (2022-23, 2024-25). Tripp was also the 2022-23 recipient of the Empire 8 Torchbearer award as the student-athlete with the highest GPA who competed in the conference championship meet.  Tripp graduated from Nazareth in 2024 with a degree in Art Education.