Northwest University’s Director of Athletics, Gary McIntosh, announced the appointment of Montessa Califano of Renton as the new head coach of the Eagle softball team. Califano comes to Northwest U from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma.

“Montessa is a gifted leader, whose passion and wealth of knowledge for coaching softball is fully evident,” said Northwest’s Athletic Director Gary McIntosh. “I am thrilled to have her on board as part of our athletics staff, as she will mobilize our softball team with her commitment to team building and competitive excellence. She cares about student athletes and getting the right ones on campus. I’m excited for the softball program and the new direction it is going.”

Califano, a 2013 graduate of Pacific Lutheran with a bachelors degree in psychology, was an assistant coach at PLU for two seasons where her major focus was the outfield along with handling player development in the short game and speed on the bases. She also assisted with administrative duties such as: recruiting, fundraising, team travel and budget management. The 2015 Lutes finished the season with a 23-17 overall record and 16-12 in Northwest Conference play.

“I am incredibly grateful as well as very excited to begin this chapter at Northwest,” Califano said. “This year is going to be a special one, I am confident that I will grow, the ladies will grow and together we will grow the program in a positive direction.”

As a player with PLU from 2009-13, Califano was a two-time All-NWC first team member in 2012 and 2013. Montessa was a member of the Lutes’ 45-11 NCAA Division III national championship team in 2012, hitting .372 and was named to the all-tournament teams in the NCAA regional and national tournaments. In 2013, Montessa hit .397, stole 25 bases and was named PLU Female Athlete of the Year. She was an NWC honorable mention award winner in 2010 and was an All-NWC second team member in 2011.

Califano has also served as head coach of the XPRESS Fastpitch team from 2011 to 2015 in Gig Harbor along with serving as an instructor with the Gig Harbor Baseball Academy also located in Gig Harbor.

She replaces Mallory Tacdol who served as the Eagles interim head coach in the 2015 season. NU finished with a 13-23 season record, the most wins in program history since beginning play in 2013.