PSU Magazine Spring 1998

hen Portland State softball pitcher Shevaun Seibert recorded the final out in a 5-2 PSU win over Western Oregon on March 6, the Vikings had given Head Coach Teri Mariani '75 her 500th career coaching victory. A major milestone? Yes. But for Mariani it was all in a day's work as she is now in her 22nd season as the Vikings' coach. Add to that her four years as an undergrad and three-sport star, and Mariani sees the win as just another good day in her nearly three– decade affiliation with PSU. "The 500 wins aren't Teri Mariani's," she says. "A coach gets too much credit sometimes. The wins just remind me of the fact that we've had a lot of great players. The teams of the late '70s and early '80s may have been the most talented. They should be credited with laying the foundation." Mariani now has more wins than any other PSU coach except former the Athletics Department for six crucial months as the program prepared for its imminent move to the Big Sky Conference and Division I. "I remember thinking after eight or nine years of coaching that I would probably get out soon, but now I'm in my 22nd year, and I have my second wind!" Mariani says. Her recipe for success is simple: having fun. "We try not to key on winning and losing. I emphasize that if you work hard, the winning and losing takes Softball coach Teri Mariani celebrates her 500th career win. baseball coach Jack Dunn (630). Her teams have annually been among the strongest in the West Region. Only 36 softball coaches in NCAA history-at any level-have achieved the 500-win plateau prior to Mariani. To win 500 games at one school takes commitment. At a time when coaches are constantly on the move, Mariani has always known her home is Portland State. In fact, after graduat– ing from St. Mary's Academy in 1970, she simply walked across the street to enter college and has now spent most of her life as a Viking. "I felt PSU was supportive of women's athletics. The faculty has always been very cooperative with the students when its comes to missing classes for games. I like the smallness of our department. We have a real fami ly atmosphere," says Mariani. Now, nearly 30 years later, Mariani has done it all within the Portland State Athletics Department. She was hired as an assistant to the associate athletic director upon graduation and immediately headed the softball program while assisting with volleyball and basketball. As the years went by, the coaching became exclusively soft– ball. In 1988 she was named associate athletic director, and in 1995 she ran care of itself. I have the team focus on their development as players and as people, and let them know they can have a lot of fun doing it. "A lot of programs are going in the opposite direction, taking the game too seriously. Our program is a way to make their time in college more enjoyable. You don't need to live, breathe, and die the game 24 hours a day in order to be good. You can be competitive and have fun while you're doing it." 0 (Mike Lund is an assistant athletic director in the PSU Sports Information Office.) SPRING 1998 PSU MAGAZINE 5