Former Spirit Lake and Iowa Hawkeyes standout Katie Brown has been given the Coaches Award by her teammates and coaches following her senior season. The award is given to the person who best demonstrates the dedication, commitment and perserverance necessary to move the team in a positive direction. She was an ESPN the Magazine second team academic all-district selection and an academic all-Big Ten pick. She started all 48 games at first base and led the team with seven doubles. Brown returned to the pitcher’s circle as a senior, appearing in seven games.
The Hawkeyes are losing a staple of the softball program, as longtime head coach Gayle Blevins has announced her retirement from coaching after 23 years at Iowa, which followed eight season at Indiana. Blevins retires with a 945-440-3 record in black and gold, while her 1,245 wins all-time are the second-most in NCAA Division I softball history. She led the Hawkeyes to the Women’s College World Series four times, won five Big Ten regular season championships, two Big Ten Tournament titles and made 16 NCAA Tournament appearances.
