Amazing Alumnae*
Gretchen Larson, Lee Biersdorf, Judy Knight, Judy Oliverius, Kim Niederluecke, Linda Arford
Val Alston, Lindsey Larson, Lauren Pockl, Katie Driscoll, Whitney Erikson, Colleen Powers, & Heidi Carls
Steph Midthun and Amy Hafemeyer
*'Alumni' vs. 'Alumnus'For an individual graduate, an alumnus is a single male, an alumna is a single female, and an alum is a gender-neutral term. For the plurals, alumni refers to multiple male or gender-neutral graduates, alumnae is for numerous female grads, and alums is the gender neutral plural. These terms are often used loosely and their strict definitions are in flux. Merriam-Webster
Amazing Gopher Softball Alumnae all around you!
This section is constantly 'UNDER CONSTRUCTION'. New Alums are being added as we speak. Please let us know about the wonderful accomplishments of your teammates and friends! Our goal is to have a database of connections for alums to search when looking for advice, direction, and connections.
Doctors, Lawyers and more
Business Owners & Leaders
Educators & Coaches
Robin Bumpus-Penoyer |
Chittenango High School Head Coach,
RISE-haveacatch.com owner.
Gopher Softball 1989-92
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Colleen (Conway) Cicalello |
Head Cake Decorator and Director of Marketing
Dorothy Ann Bakery & Cafe
Gopher Softball 2005-2009 |
Steph Klaviter |
Fastpitch Director
Triple Crown Sports
Inducted into the Univ. of Minnesota Softball Hall of Fame. Top 5 in nearly all Minn. career pitching charts.
Gopher Softball 1996-99
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Piper Ritter |
Head Coach
University of Minnesota
"Announced as New Head Coach"
May 3, 2020
Ritter has been an assistant coach at the University of Minnesota since the 2008 season churning out the top hurlers in program history. She has been a mainstay in the Minnesota softball world since her days as a top pitcher from 2001-2004. |
Val Alston |
Certified Mental Performance Consultant & Author
Resilience Trainer and Performance Expert for the Army
Health and Wellness Coach
Former D1 Softball Player
Crossfit Enthusiast
Avid traveler, lover of food and awesome Auntie!
Gopher Softball 2003-06 |
Autumn Pease |
Autumn joins the WPF Texas Smoke!Played at Minnesota From 2020-23 (All-American 2023), Named WPF Pitcher of the Year in her first year as a professional pitcher!
Gopher Softball 2020-23
Gopher Softball 1989-92 |
Amber Fiser |
Asst. Softball Coach
University of North Florida
2019 First Team NCAA All-American
2019 Honda Cup Award Finalist
2019 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year
2019-21 CoSIDA Academic All-District
2018 & 2019 First Team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region
2021 Second Team NFCA All-Great Lakes Region
2018 & 2019 First Team All-Big Ten
2021 Second Team All-Big Ten
2018-21 Academic All-Big Ten
2018-21 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award Winner
2021 Senior CLASS Award Finalist
2019 USA Softball Top-25 Player of the Year Finalist
NFCA Division I Pitcher of the Week (May 1, 2018, March 5, 2019 & May 7, 2019)
Matched conference record with six Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors in one season in 2019
11 career Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors
Threw her first collegiate no-hitter against Illinois (Mar. 30, 2018)
Tossed the program's sixth perfect game at Purdue (Apr. 27, 2018)
Fired in third career no-hitter against Tulsa at the Baylor Tournament (Feb. 21, 2020) |
'You' |
Talented Gopher Softball Alum |
Colleen Powers |
Head Softball Coach
St. Catherine University
Colleen Powers begins her eleventh season as Head Softball Coach at St. Catherine University in 2018-19. Since taking over, the Wildcats have had a dramatic turnaround and become both a contender in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and the nation.
Gopher Softball 2004-08 |
Gretchen Larson |
Our first All-American and our first Jersey Retirement!
Product Value Manager at Minnesota Rubber & Plastics
Gopher Softball 1980-83
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Mary Owen, DDS, MS |
Clinical Professor
University of Minnesota
"Minnesota prepared me for life after graduation by teaching me to advocate for myself. I learned that there are different leadership styles, and it's always important to listen, look at different perspectives, and try for solutions." Mary Owen, DDS, MS (Gopher Softball '75-'78) |
Diane Scovill |
Educator & Coach
Diane Scovill has been a proud faculty member at Minneapolis Community and Technical College for the past 37 years.
Hired in 1980 as the head women’s basketball coach and shortly after achieved her “dream job” of being a full-time Physical Education and Health instructor. Diane guided her teams through some challenging years and in 1987 secured the school's first conference championship and berth in the NJCAA State Tournament.
During her playing days, Scovill was able to stand witness to the “before and after” story of Title IX, one of the most pieces of Legislation in Civil Rights history.
Scovill played field hockey, basketball and softball at the University of Minnesota where she was honored to play with some of the best female athletes of her time. |
Sara Groenewegen |
Three time All-American Pitcher for Gopher Softball (2017-2020)
All-NPF Pitcher (2019)
One of the original ten athletes to sign for the first season of Athletes Unlimited
2020 Olympic Games - Bronze Tokyo , Canadian Team
Stanford University Softball Assistant Coach (2023-24)
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