North Carolina State University Athletics
Navas Named Wolfpack Softball Coach
7/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Softball
July 24, 2002
NC State Athletics Director Lee Fowler has named Lisa Navas NC State's women's softball coach. NC State announced in April that it will add fast-pitched softball as its 23rd varsity sport with competition beginning in the spring of 2004. Navas will look to build the Wolpack softball program from the ground up, and to capture the same success at NC State that she has enjoyed at each of her previous coaching stops.
Navas' impressive resume includes nine years of head coaching experience at Barry University. At that Miami, Fla., institution, Navas compiled a record of 335-134-1, was named Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1997, and was the NCAA Division II South Regional Coach of the Year in 1994.
Barry was the national runner-up in 1998 and finished tied for fifth nationally in 1994. Navas' Barry teams competed in five NCAA regional tournaments in her nine seasons. Barry was very successful in the Sunshine State Conference under Navas as well, winning the conference title twice and finishing second the other seven years.
Navas coached nine NFCA All-Americans, 25 NCAA All-South Region selections, and 54 All-Sunshine State Conference selections at Barry. In 1993 her squad was a top-10 academic team according to the NSCA, and in both 1995 and 1997 her teams earned the Sister Jean O'Laughlin award for most community service at Barry.
As head coach at Barry, Navas was responsible for all recruiting, budgeting, ordering, and compliance. In addition, she served as an assistant athletics director for game day management-tickets and compliance coordinator.
Navas comes to NC State after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at North Carolina. While at UNC, Navas worked with catchers, infielder and hitters. She helped the Tar Heels win the ACC title in 2001 and finish as runners-up in 2002.
Navas also served as assistant coach at the University of Missouri in 1991, and helped guide that squad to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA College World Series.
Navas served as a Division II representative for the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association, and served on the executive board from 1998-99. She has served on the Convention and Hall of Fame Committees as well as being the All-American Chairperson for the NFCA. Navas has also been on the NCAA Division II Committee as the NCAA National Chairperson and on the South Region Committee.
Navas earned her B.S. in physical education from Oklahoma City University in 1987, and earned a master's in sports management/athletic administration from Barry University in 2000.
Born March 21, 1965, in Chicago, Navas played at NAIA powerhouse Oklahoma City University and in 1986 helped her team to a second-place finish at the NAIA National Tournament. In 1987, Navas was selected to the U.S. Pan-American Game trials for the NAIA Division.
NC State fielded a women's slow pitch softball squad from 1975-83. However, when the Wolfpack changed its national women's athletics association membership from the AIAW to the NCAA, the NCAA did not offer slow-pitch softball championships. As a result, NC State dropped the program at the end of the 1982-83 season.
