Diane Stephenson

Position: Assistant Coach (Second Season) Alma Mater, Year: Indiana, 1982

Diane Stephenson is in her second season as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa.

In her first season at Iowa, Stephenson helped guide the Hawkeyes to a 42-16 overall mark, and a 13-7 record in Big Ten play. Iowa also qualified for the NCAA Tournament in Stephenson's first year on staff.

Stephenson, who serves as Iowa's hitting coach and instruct the Hawkeye catchers, is no stranger to Blevins or Iowa softball. She served as an assistant at Indiana from 1983-87 under Blevins during the most successful era in Hoosier softball history. The duo helped lead Indiana to two Big Ten championships (1983 and 1986), two NCAA Midwest Regional championships (1983 and 1986) and three NCAA Women's College World Series berths (1980, 1983 and 1986).

Stephenson was then picked to replace Blevins as Indiana's head coach and held the position from 1987-2002. She was named both the Big Ten and Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 1996 after leading the Hoosiers to their third Big Ten championship in school history. She led Indiana to two of its five NCAA Tournament appearances (1994 and 1996), while coaching five all-Americans and 18 first team all-Big Ten selections. She also coached former Iowa Associate Head Coach Michelle Venturella from 1992-95.

From 2003-07, Stephenson served as an assistant principal, athletic director and teacher at St. Charles School in Bloomington, IN. She has also been a private consultant and guest lecturer since 2002, providing private pitching and hitting instruction to student-athletes, including camps and clinics at Michigan, Iowa and Mississippi State.

Stephenson received her degree in physical education in 1982 and her masters in athletic administration in 1989, both from Indiana University. Stephenson also enjoyed a successful softball career as a Hoosier. She was the first female student-athlete to receive a full athletic scholarship at Indiana and was also the school's first softball all-American, earning the honor in 1981. She led the Hoosiers to a Big Ten championship in 1978 and the team made back-to-back appearances in the AIAW College World Series in 1979-80, finishing fifth and national runner-up, respectively. Blevins coached Stephenson at Indiana during the 1980 and 1981 seasons.