North Named Senior Woman Leader
Oskaloosa–William Penn Director of Athletics Grant Farris is proud to announce that Laura North has been named the department’s Senior Woman Leader.
As SWL, she will serve on the athletic department’s administrative team. She will also provide leadership and guidance in the area of Title IX and gender equity planning for the department. Additionally, North will advocate for student-athlete well-being, serve as a mentor and resource to others on staff, and assist senior management with strategic planning processes and decision-making.
North is in her third year as Head Softball Coach at WPU and currently owns a 50-48 record, including leading the Statesmen to a 29-21 mark and a Heart of America Athletic Conference Championship berth last spring.
North has guided nine Statesmen to all-Heart recognition and one to an NAIA All-America award. A total of 22 individuals have earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, while 18 have been named Heart Scholar-Athlete.
Prior to her time at WPU, North headed three other collegiate programs for 10 years with a career record of 195-111.
“Coach North has been an integral part of our leadership team since the day she arrived on campus,” Farris said. “Her forward-thinking mindset, strategic vision, and commitment to progress have made a lasting impact across our department. In addition to her continued success and influence as our head softball coach, she brings invaluable insight and a collaborative spirit to every initiative she is involved in. The addition of this role is a natural progression, and I am excited to see her leadership expand even further at the administrative level.”
“I am honored to represent and lead the women in the William Penn Athletics department,” North said. “We have so many outstanding female athletes and coaches on campus right now, and I am excited to celebrate them, mentor them, and learn from them. I have been looking towards taking a more administrative role on campus, and this allows me to do that while also coaching softball.”
