641-673-1707
christnerm@wmpenn.edu

Mike Christner enters his ninth season as head softball coach this coming spring.

Christner has guided his team to two NAIA national tournaments in the past five years and seven straight Region VII Tournament appearances from 2002-2008.  The winningest coach in program history, he owns a 321-154 (.676) career coaching record.

Christner, a four-time Midwest Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year and two-time Region VII Coach of the Year, was at the helm during the most successful campaign in program history in 2005 when the squad advanced to its first-ever national tournament. Under his guidance, the Lady Statesmen broke numerous individual and team records, including wins in a season, as Penn finished the 2005 year at 51-22.

Christner served eight years as an assistant baseball coach prior to becoming the head softball coach and now also serves as assistant athletics director.

Christner, a 1985 graduate of Penn with a degree in recreation, is originally from Sigourney. He also has an associate's degree from Indian Hills CC. Christner worked at Penn from 1984-88 and then went to work for UPS from 1988-98. He managed a business in his hometown from 1998-99 before returning to Penn. He was an assistant high school softball coach for three years, the men's softball ASA commissioner of the Ottumwa district for ten years, and an all-conference infielder his senior season at Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State). He played in ten ASA national tournaments and ISC world championships. Christner has also coached ASA girls softball for four years, with one of his teams placing third in the state.

A great Champion of Character, Christner was named the Region VII Coach of Character in 2007.

Christner lives in Oskaloosa with his wife Cammie. The couple has three children: Steph, Ryne, and Matt.

641-673-1705
christners@wmpenn.edu

Steph Christner enters her fourth year as assistant softball coach this coming spring.

Christner returned to Penn after serving as head softball coach at Ashford University in the spring of 2006.

A 2005 graduate of Penn, she spent two years in the Lady Statesmen softball program after one season each at NCAA Division I Michigan State and then at Indian Hills Community College. While she had considerable success at her two previous schools, Christner peaked in her time at Penn.  In becoming one of the top pitchers in the NAIA, she guided her 2005 squad to the school's first-ever national tournament appearance.

Among her accolades in the pitching circle, Christner was named an NFCA First-Team All-American in addition to claiming two all-Midwest Collegiate Conference awards in 2004 and 2005 and also MCC Co-Pitcher of the Year laurels as a senior. She also broke several school records in both pitching and hitting, including strikeouts in a season (354) and career (644), wins in a season (28), pitching starts in a season (36), innings pitched in a season (247), and hits in a season (79).

She has had success in the coaching ranks as well, leading Cardinal of Eldon HS to back-to-back Class 1A state championships in 2003 and 2004. Her 2005 team also reached the state tournament, claiming eighth place.

Christner, who was an assistant volleyball coach at Penn in 2005, will also assist in the transportation department at Penn.  She also serves as head softball coach at Knoxville HS.