simply the best! - Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Players give coach John Tschida a standing
ovation at a welcome home celebration after
the Cardinals captured the school’s first-ever
national team championship.
defense,” said senior Kateri Eddy,
who replaced the injured Niki Lynch
at second base for the last two games
of the tournament and finished with
a putout and five assists in six opportunities.
“We were all just so focused,
we knew what we had to do and we
just went out and did it.”
The Cardinals put the game out
of reach in the top of the sixth, scoring
three times — two of the runs
SMU’s Cardinal mascot leads the Cardinals
into the gym to a standing ovation from the
fans and well-wishers in attendance.
Brother President Louis DeThomasis shows off
the NCAA championship trophy, presented to
him by captain Jill Hocking.
Head coach John Tschida addresses the
audience, recapping the Cardinals’ dramatic
run to the national crown.
Team returns
to Winona to find
hero’s welcome
The Saint Mary’s University gymnasium was still set
up for a graduation ceremony on the afternoon of
May 23, but instead of “Pomp and Circumstance’’ being
played by an orchestra, rock songs like “We Are The
Champions’’ and “Respect’’ blared through speakers.
About 250 people showed up despite the summer
recess to congratulate the Cardinals softball team for its
NCAA Division III National Championship. SMU
defeated Chapman (Calif.) University 5-0 on May 21 in
Salem, Va., for the school’s first national team title.
“You are No. 1,’’ Brother President Louis
DeThomasis said. “In a sense, we all participate in your
victory, all the people connected with Saint Mary’s University.
You have set, indeed, a standard that all athletic
teams will look up to and strive to achieve.”
The 50-minute ceremony included congratulatory
speeches from DeThomasis, Winona Mayor Jerry Miller
and outgoing athletic director Don Olson.
Miller said the city proclaimed May 23, 2000, “Saint
Mary’s University Softball Team Day.”
Said Olson, who traveled with the team to Virginia:
“They showed a great deal of class in winning.They never
dropped their heads, never talked back to an umpire.
They made us all proud, the way they did it and represented
Saint Mary’s.”
Head coach John Tschida and senior pitcher Teisha
22 SAINT MARY’S UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE