Gannon University
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softball
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head coach beth curtiss
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Head Coach Beth Curtiss
Curtiss begins her eighth
season as Gannon’s head coach.
Her coaching days have been as successful as her playing days. The Lady
Knights are 238-116-1 under Curtiss during her first seven seasons. She owns
a .672 career winning percentage, ranking her 33rd among active NCAA Division
II coaches. In comparison, Gannon won 70 percent (142-60) of its games during
Curtiss’ playing career (1996-1999).
She guided the Lady Knights to one of the best seasons in school history
during her first season as head coach in 2001. The squad finished 40-14,
marking only the second 40-win campaign in school history. Gannon finished
tied for third place in the GLIAC with a 13-7 league record.
In 2002, Curtiss led Gannon to a 30-13-1 record and a 13-7 league mark.
The Lady Knights advanced to the GLIAC Championship for the first time in
school history before falling to Ashland University.
Gannon again made history in 2003, advancing to the GLIAC Championship
game for the second consecutive season before falling to Grand Valley State.
The squad posted a 28-21 record, finishing third in the GLIAC regular-season
standings.
The Lady Knights finished 28-17 in 2004, but were unable to repeat their
GLIAC Tournament championship run for the third consecutive season when
poor weather forced the cancellation of the league’s post-season tournament.
The program continued to make history under Curtiss when it advanced to
the 2005 NCAA Division II Tournament for the second time in school history.
The squad recorded the program’s first-ever NCAA victory with a 4-3 verdict
over West Virginia Wesleyan in the first game. The Lady Knights finished 33-18
overall.
Curtiss led the program to even greater heights in 2006. Gannon advanced
to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the third time in school history
and participated in back-to-back events for the first time. The Lady Knights
posted two NCAA Tournament victories and were one win away from the Great
Lakes Regional Championship when they were eliminated by top-seeded SIU Edwardsville.
Gannon finished 41-18 overall, equaling the second-highest single-season
victory total in school history.
Just when Gannon fans didn’t think it could get any better, Curtiss led
the team back to the NCAA Tournament in 2007 for the third consecutive season.
The Lady Knights won their first-ever GLIAC Championship with a 3-2 victory
over Grand Valley State in the finals. It marked the program’s 18th consecutive
winning season and 17th straight 20-win campaign. In all, Gannon has achieved
a winning record and at least 28 victories during every season with Curtiss
at the helm.
Curtiss became the Lady Knights’ seventh head coach on August 7, 2001.
The Pittsburgh native spent the previous season as an assistant under longtime
head coach Mike Corbett. The Lady Knights finished 26-17 that season.
Curtiss arrived at Gannon as a player in 1996 after a very successful high
school career at Keystone Oaks in Pittsburgh. She quickly turned into one
of the best ever to wear a Lady Knight uniform. She concluded her collegiate
career in 1999 among Gannon’s best in several career statistical categories.
She is currently 12th in hits (156) and 16th in RBI (75). Curtiss' best
season came during her senior campaign when she recorded 53 hits, four shy
of the top 15 single-season marks in school history.
The program didn’t miss a beat when Curtiss took the coaching reigns. In
fact, it increased its win total by 14 from the previous season. Curtiss
graduated from Gannon in 1999 with a B.A. in Education.
Curtiss is married to Shaun, who is an assistant coach for Gannon's football
program. The couple resides in Erie with their six-month-old daughter Grace.
Gannon University~University Square ~ Erie, PA 16541-0001
Toll Free: 1-800-GANNON-U
Sports Press Box E-mail
updated 3/26/08 by: drt
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