Dana Jenkins
Head Coach
Sixth Season
Jenkins, a Sugar Hill, Ga., native who most recently coached at Anderson College, became the seventh head coach in the 24-year history of Lady Paladin softball and the first alumnus to return as head coach of the program when she began her duties on August 1, 2003.
A four-year starter at shortstop and two-year team captain, Jenkins still holds the Lady Paladin record for career assists with 440, and was a member of Furman's 1994 and 1995 Southern Conference Championship teams.
After graduating Furman in 1996 with a health and exercise science degree, Jenkins accepted an assistant coaching position at Campbell University, where in two years she served as assistant coach, professor, interim head coach, co-head junior varsity coach, and assistant camp director. In July of 1998 Jenkins left Campbell to become the assistant coach under Aimee DeVos at UNC Charlotte, and in 2000 accepted her first head coaching position, with the NCAA Division II Lady Trojans.
In three years at Anderson, Jenkins led a team that had won just 24 games the previous three years to 76 victories. In 2003, the Anderson College softball team enjoyed its most successful season ever, setting a new school record for victories with a 32-22 record, and advancing to the finals of the Carolinas-Virginia Conference tournament.
Since Coach Jenkins took over at Furman the program has been steadily improving. Last year the 2006 team broke records in RBI's, homeruns, and finised second in the Southern Conference tournament finals.