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Award-winning coach leads MHCC Saints Softball Team to win championship
“I had goose bumps,” said McWhorter. “That’s where it all started.” For the first time in the College’s history, the MHCC Softball Team captured the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Softball Title, a highlight in McWhorter’s career as a softball coach. Besides leading the team to victory at the NWAACC Championship, the NWAACC named McWhorter Coach of the Year. McWhorter was also named National Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in 2004 and 2008. “She was the best coach I ever had,” said former softball player Kathy Cox, who now plays at Boise State University. “She taught me mental toughness, everything I needed to know to go on to the next level.” McWhorter is not only a coach, she’s an MHCC graduate. She played softball for MHCC for two years before transferring to Jacksonville State University in Alabama. After graduating in 2002, she returned to her alma mater to coach. “MHCC is my home., I’m passionate about it,” said McWhorter. “I bleed black and red; I’m Mt. Hood through and through.” For McWhorter, softball is not just about skill, it’s about relationships. She tries to infuse a sense of family into her team. “A lot of the players are living on their own for the first time — in essence the team becomes their family,” explained McWhorter. A sense of family support is an integral part of success on the field. “Behind every great athlete there’s a supportive parent, especially for pitchers,” she said. For McWhorter, that person was her father. He helped coach the MHCC Softball Team while McWhorter was a student and also worked as her assistant coach for two years. This past year, McWhorter has been able to use her enthusiastic energy outside the playing field as MHCC’s student events coordinator. Through this position, she’s encouraged her softball team and other students to get involved on campus. “This is my dream job,” she said. “Every day I look forward to coming to work.” For more information about the MHCC Saints Softball Team or student life at MHCC, contact McWhorter at 503-491-7453 or meadow.mcwhorter@mhcc.edu. |
In January 2009, Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) Saints Softball Coach Meadow McWhorter took her team to the championship field at Portland’s Delta Park to set goals as a team. Four months later, they played the championship game on that exact field — and won.