Schoonmaker Named GW Softball Head Coach
7/8/2021 3:30:00 PM | Softball
Veteran coach takes over A-10 champion softball program
WASHINGTONÂ - Chrissy Schoonmaker has been named GW softball head coach, Director of Athletics Tanya Vogel announced on Thursday.
A veteran leader with more than a decade of experience at the highest levels of the sport, Schoonmaker was most recently an assistant coach at Harvard following stops at Connecticut, Houston, Texas Tech and her alma mater South Carolina. She takes over a burgeoning program looking to build on a historic spring in which it claimed Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
"I want to thank Chandra Bierwirth and John Square who spearheaded this search – Chrissy emerged from an incredibly talented pool of candidates as the right person to continue to build upon the recent success of our softball program," Vogel said. "We spent time learning about her detailed plan to develop our current and future student-athletes.
"Her plan is rooted firmly in her values and based upon an incredible background of diverse and successful experiences. Her proven commitment to excellence will help our student-athletes pursue even higher levels of achievement, on and off the field. Chrissy will be a valuable addition to our culture, and we're excited to welcome her to our GW Family."
A former infielder who started 176 games at South Carolina from 2004-2008, Schoonmaker brings an extensive resume to the Buff and Blue that includes NCAA appearances as both a student-athlete and coach. She has experience working in athletics development and broadcasting, in addition to 10 seasons as a collegiate coach with responsibilities spanning all aspects of the game and a particular specialty teaching infield defense.
"I am thrilled to join George Washington University as the next leader of the softball program," Schoonmaker said. "I look forward to meeting our extraordinary student-athletes and continuing to uphold a championship standard, both in the classroom and on the field competing for titles within the A-10 and beyond.
"It was evident from my time on campus how invested GW is in the complete student-athlete experience and the passion here for the growth and development of those we lead. Thank you to Tanya Vogel, Chandra Bierwirth and John Square for this incredible opportunity and their belief in my vision for this program."
Schoonmaker spent the 2020-21 academic year on staff at Harvard, during which she helped lead the Crimson's virtual programming amid the COVID-19 pandemic with an emphasis on team building and leadership development through core value study. The Sebastian, Fla., native also contributed to the SEC Network's softball coverage as a game analyst this spring for the second consecutive season.
Before heading to the Ivy League, Schoonmaker spent a year as assistant director of development at South Carolina where she was part of major-gift fundraising efforts for the athletic department, including creating an initiative – The Women of South Carolina – that has raised more than $1 million to date to provide resources for female student-athletes at her alma mater.
Schoonmaker's latest tenure at USC followed five seasons as lead assistant at UConn. Her wide-ranging responsibilities included practice planning, scouting and recruiting for the Huskies, who recorded 95 wins from 2015-19 competing in the American Athletic Conference. In her final campaign, the program produced five All-AAC performers, including a pair of first-team picks, as well as 14 AAC All-Academic Team honorees.
In 2014, Schoonmaker was on staff for Houston's run to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars totaled 33 victories and earned an at-large berth in the Waco Regional. She served as infield coach for a group that set a single-season program record for double plays turned and helped increase the team fielding percentage by 12 points from the previous spring.
Schoonmaker began her collegiate coaching career with three seasons working at the Power Five level. She served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas Tech during the 2013 season, helping the Red Raiders record 30 victories, after two years as a volunteer assistant at her alma mater.
Following the end of her playing career, Schoonmaker also spent two seasons in the high school coaching ranks at Dreher High School in Columbia, S.C., rising to become co-head coach during the spring of 2010.
At South Carolina, Schoonmaker was a four-year captain, member of two NCAA squads and versatile contributor who logged time at nearly every position on the diamond over her five seasons with the Gamecocks.
She was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team as a graduate student in 2008 and also received the athletic department's Gamecock Inspiration Award that year in recognition of her determined comeback after sustaining a broken neck in a car accident that kept her out of the 2007 season.
A five-time SEC All-Academic Honor Roll selection, Schoonmaker earned her undergraduate degree from South Carolina majoring in Psychology in 2007 before adding a master's in Mass Communication and Journalism in 2009.
At Florida's Sebastian River High School, she was a two-time All-State softball performer, also lettering in basketball, soccer, volleyball and track.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"George Washington has hit a home run with the hiring of Chrissy Schoonmaker to lead their softball program. I was able to witness her work ethic and knowledge of the game firsthand when she started her coaching career as a volunteer assistant here at South Carolina. Chrissy's experience in the SEC, Big 12, and American Athletic conferences has prepared her for this day. She is a tireless recruiter with a passion to coach; she will be an outstanding role model for her student-athletes." – Beverly Smith, South Carolina Head Coach
"Chrissy has paid her dues in our profession and has the energy and ambition to lead George Washington's program. She has been mentored by head coaches with integrity and work ethic, and this will serve her and her program well as she moves into this next phase of her career. I wish her and the GW softball program continued success." – Jo Evans, Texas A&M Head Coach & NFCA Hall of Famer
"Chrissy Schoonmaker is a great hire for the head softball coach position at George Washington. Schoony is passionate about the game and players and a great student of the game. She will work tirelessly to build and sustain an outstanding team culture as well as continuing their most recent successes on the field. She will do things the right way with class and integrity. I am excited to follow her journey leading this program." – Donna J. Papa, North Carolina Head Coach & NFCA Hall of Famer
"Chrissy is a knowledgeable coach and effective recruiter. She will serve as a great mentor to the student-athletes she will coach at George Washington. The Harvard Softball Family wishes her all the best as she transitions into a leadership role." -Â Jenny Allard, Harvard Head Coach
"George Washington just made a great hire. Chrissy has been preparing for this opportunity since her days of playing at the University of South Carolina. Her passion for the student-athlete, combined with her knowledge and experience of the game, will be valuable for the student-athletes who will be fortunate enough to play for her. Congratulations to both Chrissy and GW." – Debbie Corum, Southern Utah Athletic Director
"Chrissy is one of the brightest young coaching minds out there. She has a tremendous ability to connect with the athletes on a level that breeds success both on and off the field. She is a born leader and role model that will continue to grow the success of the George Washington program. I couldn't be more proud of her as she begins her head coaching journey. She leads with passion, commitment, and diligence. This is no doubt a home run hire." -Â Jen McIntyre, Ohio State Associate Head Coach
A veteran leader with more than a decade of experience at the highest levels of the sport, Schoonmaker was most recently an assistant coach at Harvard following stops at Connecticut, Houston, Texas Tech and her alma mater South Carolina. She takes over a burgeoning program looking to build on a historic spring in which it claimed Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
"I want to thank Chandra Bierwirth and John Square who spearheaded this search – Chrissy emerged from an incredibly talented pool of candidates as the right person to continue to build upon the recent success of our softball program," Vogel said. "We spent time learning about her detailed plan to develop our current and future student-athletes.
"Her plan is rooted firmly in her values and based upon an incredible background of diverse and successful experiences. Her proven commitment to excellence will help our student-athletes pursue even higher levels of achievement, on and off the field. Chrissy will be a valuable addition to our culture, and we're excited to welcome her to our GW Family."
A former infielder who started 176 games at South Carolina from 2004-2008, Schoonmaker brings an extensive resume to the Buff and Blue that includes NCAA appearances as both a student-athlete and coach. She has experience working in athletics development and broadcasting, in addition to 10 seasons as a collegiate coach with responsibilities spanning all aspects of the game and a particular specialty teaching infield defense.
"I am thrilled to join George Washington University as the next leader of the softball program," Schoonmaker said. "I look forward to meeting our extraordinary student-athletes and continuing to uphold a championship standard, both in the classroom and on the field competing for titles within the A-10 and beyond.
"It was evident from my time on campus how invested GW is in the complete student-athlete experience and the passion here for the growth and development of those we lead. Thank you to Tanya Vogel, Chandra Bierwirth and John Square for this incredible opportunity and their belief in my vision for this program."
Schoonmaker spent the 2020-21 academic year on staff at Harvard, during which she helped lead the Crimson's virtual programming amid the COVID-19 pandemic with an emphasis on team building and leadership development through core value study. The Sebastian, Fla., native also contributed to the SEC Network's softball coverage as a game analyst this spring for the second consecutive season.
Before heading to the Ivy League, Schoonmaker spent a year as assistant director of development at South Carolina where she was part of major-gift fundraising efforts for the athletic department, including creating an initiative – The Women of South Carolina – that has raised more than $1 million to date to provide resources for female student-athletes at her alma mater.
Schoonmaker's latest tenure at USC followed five seasons as lead assistant at UConn. Her wide-ranging responsibilities included practice planning, scouting and recruiting for the Huskies, who recorded 95 wins from 2015-19 competing in the American Athletic Conference. In her final campaign, the program produced five All-AAC performers, including a pair of first-team picks, as well as 14 AAC All-Academic Team honorees.
In 2014, Schoonmaker was on staff for Houston's run to the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars totaled 33 victories and earned an at-large berth in the Waco Regional. She served as infield coach for a group that set a single-season program record for double plays turned and helped increase the team fielding percentage by 12 points from the previous spring.
Schoonmaker began her collegiate coaching career with three seasons working at the Power Five level. She served as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Texas Tech during the 2013 season, helping the Red Raiders record 30 victories, after two years as a volunteer assistant at her alma mater.
Following the end of her playing career, Schoonmaker also spent two seasons in the high school coaching ranks at Dreher High School in Columbia, S.C., rising to become co-head coach during the spring of 2010.
At South Carolina, Schoonmaker was a four-year captain, member of two NCAA squads and versatile contributor who logged time at nearly every position on the diamond over her five seasons with the Gamecocks.
She was named to the SEC All-Defensive Team as a graduate student in 2008 and also received the athletic department's Gamecock Inspiration Award that year in recognition of her determined comeback after sustaining a broken neck in a car accident that kept her out of the 2007 season.
A five-time SEC All-Academic Honor Roll selection, Schoonmaker earned her undergraduate degree from South Carolina majoring in Psychology in 2007 before adding a master's in Mass Communication and Journalism in 2009.
At Florida's Sebastian River High School, she was a two-time All-State softball performer, also lettering in basketball, soccer, volleyball and track.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
"George Washington has hit a home run with the hiring of Chrissy Schoonmaker to lead their softball program. I was able to witness her work ethic and knowledge of the game firsthand when she started her coaching career as a volunteer assistant here at South Carolina. Chrissy's experience in the SEC, Big 12, and American Athletic conferences has prepared her for this day. She is a tireless recruiter with a passion to coach; she will be an outstanding role model for her student-athletes." – Beverly Smith, South Carolina Head Coach
"Chrissy has paid her dues in our profession and has the energy and ambition to lead George Washington's program. She has been mentored by head coaches with integrity and work ethic, and this will serve her and her program well as she moves into this next phase of her career. I wish her and the GW softball program continued success." – Jo Evans, Texas A&M Head Coach & NFCA Hall of Famer
"Chrissy Schoonmaker is a great hire for the head softball coach position at George Washington. Schoony is passionate about the game and players and a great student of the game. She will work tirelessly to build and sustain an outstanding team culture as well as continuing their most recent successes on the field. She will do things the right way with class and integrity. I am excited to follow her journey leading this program." – Donna J. Papa, North Carolina Head Coach & NFCA Hall of Famer
"Chrissy is a knowledgeable coach and effective recruiter. She will serve as a great mentor to the student-athletes she will coach at George Washington. The Harvard Softball Family wishes her all the best as she transitions into a leadership role." -Â Jenny Allard, Harvard Head Coach
"George Washington just made a great hire. Chrissy has been preparing for this opportunity since her days of playing at the University of South Carolina. Her passion for the student-athlete, combined with her knowledge and experience of the game, will be valuable for the student-athletes who will be fortunate enough to play for her. Congratulations to both Chrissy and GW." – Debbie Corum, Southern Utah Athletic Director
"Chrissy is one of the brightest young coaching minds out there. She has a tremendous ability to connect with the athletes on a level that breeds success both on and off the field. She is a born leader and role model that will continue to grow the success of the George Washington program. I couldn't be more proud of her as she begins her head coaching journey. She leads with passion, commitment, and diligence. This is no doubt a home run hire." -Â Jen McIntyre, Ohio State Associate Head Coach
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