Head Coach Christina Sutcliffe of the Northern Illinois University softball program announced the hiring of assistant coach Alaynie Woollard on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Woollard circles back to her alma mater, joining the NIU softball staff after a three-year stint at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
“We couldn’t be happier with the homecoming of Alaynie,” said Sutcliffe. “This has been in the works for several years as we’ve watched her grow into her coaching voice and philosophies. ‘Woo’ [Coach Woollard] will bring a passion and energy to our team that will continue to help us grow both on and off the field. I am 100% confident our defense will improve under her direction. Having someone come in who already has a wealth of knowledge of our program and systems in place will be valuable in all areas.”
Woollard spent one year (2019) as assistant softball coach at Franklin College under then Head Coach Brad Jones. Woollard helped the Grizzlies amass 18 wins and land a spot in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament.
Following her time at Franklin, Woollard earned her first Division I coaching gig at Wisconsin-Green Bay – she served as assistant coach for Head Coach Sara Kubuske. Assisting in all aspect of the program, Woollard helped lead Green Bay to 23 wins in 2021, the most since 2014. 18 of those victories were against Horizon League opponents.
Upon completion of the 2021 campaign, Green Bay was given a NFCA/Easton Team GPA award after posting a cumulative team grade point average of 3.794. GB’s team GPA ranked third out of all of NCAA DI teams, the highest the program had ever ranked in its history.
In 2022, Woollard aided the Phoenix in building off the prior year’s successes as the squad racked up 25 wins and won its first postseason game since the 2015 season.
Prior to commencing her coaching career, Woollard was a standout NIU softball student-athlete under the direction of Sutcliffe from 2014-2018.
A NFCA All-Great Lakes and Academic All-MAC honoree, Woollard made appearances at shortstop, catcher, and third base with the Huskies. She owns the single-season triple record with nine and is tied for the third-most career triples with 13. Woollard’s 27 homers in a Huskie uniform is tied for third-most in program history. Additionally, all four of Woollard’s teams reached the MAC Tournament.
“Frist, I’d like to thank Sara Kubuske for taking a chance on me at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. My time in Green Bay gave me many great experiences. I’m forever grateful for the lessons learned and friendship made there,” said Woollard.
“I also want to give a huge thank you to coach Sutcliffe for continuing to believe in me. The support and mentorship that she has continuously shown me is a huge reason I’m able to be in this position today,”
“This is an opportunity that people normally only get to dream about. The ability to give back to the program and university that has given me so much is an honor. I’m proud to be a Huskie and I can’t wait to assistant in giving future and current Huskies an amazing experience at NIU. I am excited to be back wearing red and black on Mary M. Bell field working toward a MAC Championship!”
A New Castle, Ind. native, Woollard has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from NIU.