Leslie Huntington has been the head coach of the UW Eau Claire Blugolds softball program for 19 years. She is the Blugolds’ all-time winningest coach and earned her 400th career win on March 20, 2016. At the time the season was canceled in 2020, due to the corona virus outbreak, she was 1 win shy of 500 in her head coaching career.
In 2008 Huntington led the Blugolds to an NCAA Division III national championship, the first in program history. In 2007 the team finished third in the nation.
Between 2004-2006, Huntington received three WIAC Coach of the Year awards in a row, each year the Blugolds won WIAC titles, the first time in WIAC history a team won three straight. She was also named WIAC Coach of the Year in 2012.
Her coaching staff earned national recognition in 2008 when they received the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Coaching Staff of the Year award. In 2006 and 2007 the coaching staff earned NFCA Great Lakes Region Coaching Staff of the Year.
In 1997 and 1999 Huntington’s teams at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa won NCAA Division III titles. In 1996 and 1998 the teams finished third in at the NCAA Division III National Championship. Huntington also served as head athletic trainer at Simpson College for six years. In 2000 and 2001 she was the co-head coach of Nevada Community Schools softball program in Nevada, Iowa. Huntington spent two years as a certified athletic trainer with the Des Moines Sports Medicine Clinic in Des Moines, Iowa.
Huntington earned her bachelor’s degree from Buena Vista College in 1992 and was a two-sport athlete. She played first base and was a co-captain on BVU’s NCAA Division III national runner-up softball team in 1992. She was a GTW/CoSIDA Academic All-Region recipient. She played basketball for four years at the college, whose 1989-1990 team advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament.
In 2000 Huntington earned her master’s degree from Iowa State University in health and human performance with an emphasis in sports administration.
Coach Huntington is currently pursuing opportunities as a Mental Performance Consultant, while continuing to coach the Blugolds. She has started her business, More Than A Game Mental Performance Consulting, and will be starting her own podcasts, along with an online course geared toward high school student-athletes who wish to pursue college athletics. She also plans to consult with coaches, teams, corporate groups, etc., in the future as well. Her passion is helping develop leadership, culture, and self-improvement.
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