FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: July 19, 2007
CONTACT: Jeff Duggan, SID
PHONE: (303) 273-3095

Colorado School of Mines adds three coaches, assistant trainer

GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines has added three new coaches and an assistant athletics trainer to its staff for the upcoming 2007-08 season, as announced today by Director of Athletics Tom Spicer.

Josh Hutchens returns to CSM as an assistant wrestling coach, a position he also held during the 2002-03 season. A graduate of Purdue University, Hutchens spent the past three seasons (2004-05 to 2006-07) as the head wrestling coach at James Madison University. Hutchens, a volunteer assistant coach at Purdue University in 2001-02, also spent one season (2003-04) as the assistant coach at James Madison. During his career at Purdue, Hutchens placed third in the Big Ten Championships, was selected as the Boilermakers' Most Improved Wrestler and was an NCAA Division I national qualifier.

Brad Schick takes over as the Orediggers' new assistant men's basketball coach after spending the previous three seasons (2004-05 to 2006-07) as an assistant at the University of Nebraska - Omaha. A former collegiate standout at the University of Northern Colorado (freshman - junior seasons) and Western State College (senior year), Schick earned First Team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and All-Region honors during his final year of eligibility with the Mountaineers. Schick, who garnered Academic All-Region recognition at UNC in 1996-97, also earned an NCAA Division II Post-Graduate Scholarship. The recipient of the Rocky Mountain News' Fred Steinmark Award for academic and athletic excellence during his prep career at Gunnison High School, Schick also spent four seasons (2000-01 to 2003-04) as an assistant coach at Fort Lewis College.

Anna Van Wetzinga has been hired as Colorado School of Mines' first full-time head softball coach in program history. Van Wetzinga, who spent the past two years (2006-07) as an assistant coach at Indiana State University, was also an assistant at St. Ambrose University in 2003. A graduate of Central College (Iowa), Van Wetzinga was selected as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's (NFCA) NCAA Division III Catcher of the Year as a senior in 2001. Van Wetzinga, who led the Dutch to a national runner-up finish in 2001, was a three-time All-Conference, four-time All-Region and two-time All-America selection during her playing days at Central.

Stephanie Begley will begin her first year as an assistant athletics trainer at Colorado School of Mines in 2007-08. Begley comes to CSM from Minnesota State University - Mankato, where she served as a graduate assistant for two seasons (2005-06 & 2006-07). Begley also spent four years (2001-02 to 2004-05) as a student athletics trainer at Loras College (Iowa) during her undergraduate career.

For more information, please contact CSM Sports Information Director Jeff Duggan at (303) 273-3095 or jduggan@mines.edu.

-- OREDIGGERS --