Princeton University Women's Softball

Van Ackeren became the winningest first-year coach in Princeton softball history, finishing at 27-19 and with the best record since the Tigers went 34-19 in 2006. Princeton's 12-8 Ivy League record in Van Ackeren's first year was the program's best since 2008, when the team went 18-2. Through four seasons, Van Ackeren has a record of 85-97, already the third-winningest coach in program history. Van Ackeren's fourth season saw her win the 2016 Ivy League Coach of the Year award after leading Princeton to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008. Along the way, Princeton won the Ivy South for the first time since 2008 and became the first visiting team since the Ivy League Championship Series began in 2007 to win the best-of-three battle between the division winners, defeating Harvard two games to one. Fifteen Tigers have earned All-Ivy League honors during Van Ackeren's four seasons leading the team, and in 2016, Princeton had its first two first-team All-Ivy honorees since 2011 and the first Princeton freshman since 2006 to earn first-team All-Ivy recognition in Kaylee Grant. Van Ackeren, a 2009 Lehigh graduate, coached as a volunteer assistant at Lehigh in 2010 and was an assistant coach at Penn in 2011 and 2012. When she finished her playing career at Lehigh, the former Lisa Sweeney's name was listed more than a hundred times throughout the Patriot League record book, from being the only player in Patriot League history to win four Pitcher of the Year awards - as well as the 2008 Player of the Year award - to being a third-team CoSIDA Academic All-America honoree in 2008. No one in Patriot League history had won (104), shut out (31), pitched in (141), started (112), or finished (91) more games. She completed her career with the Patriot League record for strikeouts in a career (928) as well as the top three single-season totals. Three of her four seasons represented the top three single-season win totals in Patriot League history, and she also twice led the league in saves in a season. Her four no-hitters, including ones thrown against Harvard and Penn, both in 2007, were a Patriot League record. Among those is a perfect game, thrown against Army as a freshman in the 2006 Patriot League Tournament. Van Ackeren had a record of 94-28 as a pitcher at Lehigh, while the Mountain Hawks won 155 games over her four seasons. She pitched in three NCAA regionals, and Lehigh won at least one game in each, twice winning two. In the 2012 season, her second as an assistant coach at Penn, Van Ackeren worked with unanimous first-team All-Ivy League selection Alexis Borden as the Quakers won the Ivy South division. Since coming to Princeton, Van Ackeren's players have earned eight All-Ivy League honors over her two seasons. Van Ackeren has provided softball instruction outside of college athletics as well, co-founding Sweeney Softball in her home area of Lumberton, N.J., where she helped develop the careers of young players in her area. Prior to Lehigh, Van Ackeren pitched for Rancocas Valley Regional High School, where she threw a no-hitter in the 2005 NJSIAA Group IV championship game to cap a 31-2 senior season in which she posted a 0.15 ERA. She was a two-time Courier-Post South Jersey Player of the Year. Van Ackeren resides in Princeton with her husband Brendan. Lehigh University, Bachelor of History, 2009 Lehigh University, Master of Education in Secondary Social Studies, 2010 Lehigh University, 2006-09 Four-time first-team All-Patriot League player Four-time Patriot League Pitcher of the Year 2008 Patriot League Player of the Year 2006, 2008 & 2009 Patriot League Tournament MVP 2008 Academic All-America 2009 Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year 2016 Ivy League Coach of the Year Princeton University, Head Coach (2013-present) University of Pennsylvania, Assistant Coach (2011-12) Lehigh University, Volunteer Assistant Coach (2010) - All Rights Reserved |

Arias was the head softball coach at nearby West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, leading her team to the NJSIAA postseason in each of her last seven seasons while winning three Colonial Valley Conference divisional titles and a Mercer County Tournament title in 2009. Also while at WW-P South, Arias served as an assistant varsity and head junior varsity field hockey coach. As a player, Arias competed collegiately at William Paterson University, starting at third base and as a backup catcher. William Paterson won NJAC titles in 2003 and 2005, an NCAA East Regional title in 2005 and a Division III College World Series appearance that season. Arias caught at WW-P South before heading to William Paterson, serving as team captain in the 2000 and 2001 seasons while earning first-team all-conference honors in 2001. Arias played club softball for the West Windsor Wildcats, the ASA Gold Middletown Magic, the Yardley Royal Ladies and the Madison Avenue Women's Team. Arias has also played for the USA Maccabi Women's National Softball Team, winning the gold medal at the 2007-08 Pan American Maccabi Games in Argentina and the 2009 and 2013 World Maccabi Games in Israel. Arias, who graduated from William Paterson in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in exercise and movement science, is a health and physical education teacher at Community Middle School in Plainsboro, N.J. She is bronze-level certified by the National Federation of State High School Coaches, holds a Positive Coaching Alliance Double-Goal Coach certification, and is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and the USA Field Hockey Coaches Association. - All Rights Reserved |