UMC Names Stopa Head Softball Coach

CROOKSTON, Minn.- University of Minnesota Crookston Director of Athletics Stephanie Helgeson announced the addition of Don Stopa as head softball coach for the Golden Eagles. Stopa comes to UMC after acquiring a myriad of experience coaching collegiate softball most recently at National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) affiliate Louisburg College in Louisburg, N.C. for the past three seasons.

“We are excited to add Don to the staff as head softball coach,” Helgeson said. “He is very highly respected and brings a great deal of experience coaching at a variety of levels. We believe Don will be a great addition to our staff.”

“I am honored to be a part of UMC as the head softball coach and I would like to thank Athletic Director Steph Helgeson for this opportunity,” Stopa said. “I am really excited about where this program could go and can’t wait to get to work. The university has so much to offer these student athletes and I hope to bring great success, on and off the field.”

During his time at Louisburg, Stopa led the Hurricanes to a 70-56 mark and helped to produce 14 All-Region players, two National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-Americans and six NJCAA All-
Academic award winners. In addition to his duties as softball coach, Stopa was also the Sports Information Director for Louisburg.

A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Stopa spent three years at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz. working with both the baseball and softball teams, as well as serving as the Sports Information Director. In 2011, he helped the Aztecs to a 51-14 mark and No. 9 ranking in the NJCAA poll. He also helped the team compete for a regional championship, finishing just one game short of a trip to the National Tournament.

Prior to his move to Arizona, Stopa was the head softball coach at Graceland University, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school in Lamoni, Iowa for three seasons helping to improve the Yellowjackets both on the field and in the classroom. Before his transition to softball, Stopa was an assistant baseball coach for two seasons at Graceland.

Before making the move to Graceland, Stopa spent time as the pitching coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M University.

Stopa earned his Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree in Mass Communication in 2002, a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Communication in 2004 and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Sport Management in 2007. Don and his wife Ashley has two sons Austin and Jaxon.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.