Jody Gabriel has announced her resignation as interim head coach of the Falcon softball program.

Gabriel has been named the head softball coach at Macalester College located in St. Paul, Minn.

“It is very difficult to leave UW-River Falls after nine years of coaching the team,” said Gabriel on Wednesday afternoon. “The team is an amazing group of young women and I know they will continue to be successful.”

Faye Perkins will return as the team’s head coach in 2012. For the past four years Perkins, who has a 324-328-2 career record in 18 seasons at UWRF, has been the interim dean of the University’s College of Education and Professional Studies. Perkins will coach the Falcons and return to the University’s health & human performance department as a faculty member.

Gabriel concluded her fourth year as interim coach of the Falcons in 2011 and led the team to the WIAC regular season and playoff championships. She led this year’s team to a NCAA Tournament berth where the Falcons finished 2-2 in the Eau Claire Regional. Before taking over the Falcons as head coach in in 2008, Gabriel was an assistant coach for five years.

The regular season title was the first for the Falcons since 1994 and UWRF won the WIAC tournament championship for the first time. The Falcons fiinished 28-15 overall and 13-3 in WIAC play. Gabriel led the Falcons to a 14-0 home record this year and this is the first time in Falcon softball history the team has finished undefeated at home. UWRF won eight straight games heading into the NCAA tournament. At the WIAC Tournament the Falcons were the only undefeated team finishing 4-0 in games played at Ramer Field. Gabriel finished her career with a 108-60 overall record and her team’s were 38-26 in WIAC play. Gabriel competed with the Falcons from 1994-96. The 1994 team won the WIAC title and competed in the NCAA Tournament. The 1994 team also had the second highest grade point average in the nation. She earned her undergraduate degree from UWRF in accounting in 1996 and her M.S.E. degree (social studies) from UWRF in 2000.

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