HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College Athletic Department has announced the resignation of head softball coach Jen Ward effective June 30.
Ward, a 2004 graduate of Haverford and the winningest coach in program history, is stepping down after 10 years at the helm of the program to pursue other opportunities in the Washington, D.C. area.
Ward, the Centennial Conference Coach of the Year in 2013, guided the Fords to six 20-win seasons including a program-record 29 wins in 2014.
"Jen created a culture in which our student-athletes excelled both academically and athletically," said Haverford College Director of Athletics Wendy Smith. "I appreciate all she has contributed not just to the softball program but to the department as a whole and wish Jen the best of luck in all her future endeavors."
Ward's final season was a memorable one as Haverford claimed the program's second Centennial Conference championship. The Fords' undefeated run in the conference tournament included a 6-2 win over host Muhlenberg College in the championship game which was Ward's 200th career victory.
In the program's second trip to the NCAA tournament under coach Ward, the 2014 team recorded the program's first two NCAA victories over Wheaton (Mass.) College (6-2) and Farmingdale State College (8-0) before falling in a heartbreaker to host Montclair State University, 2-0, in the regional final.
The Haverford softball team, which boasts a 55-24 record over the last two seasons, has also made its mark in the classroom. The program had 35 Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll selections in the last six years, five Fords earn recognition as 2013 National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar Athletes and one player voted onto the Philadelphia Inquirer 2013 Academic All-Area squad.
Ward, who complied a 202-169-1 record in her tenure, guided Haverford to its first Centennial title and trip to the national tournament in 2006.
A search for Ward's replacement will begin immediately.