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One of the most successful coaches in school history, 2011 marks Sandy Montgomery's 23rd season as the head coach of the Cougar softball team. Montgomery has earned her success through hard work and determination. No matter the level, Montgomery always has found success. Her coaching résumé is among the nation's finest, including a Division II National Championship in 2007. It also features two consecutive appearances in the National Finals, in 2006 and 2007, and nine consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2000-2008. Montgomery leads her team into a new era as the Cougars play their first season in the Ohio Valley Conference. As the fast-track women's sport for SIUE Athletics, SIUE is fully eligible for OVC postseason competition and the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars extended their streak of winning seasons under Montgomery to 16 after posting a 27-24 record last season. Now an associate athletic director for SIUE, Montgomery is a model for success. A 2006 member of the SIUE Athletics Hall of Fame for her past performance as a student-athlete, she has enjoyed a flawless transition from player to assistant coach to head coach to administrator. Her success was further confirmed by her 2001 induction into the Illinois Amateur Softball Association's Hall of Fame. Montgomery earned the Great Lakes Valley Conference's Coach of the Year honor four times. The National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) also named SIUE the Regional Coaching Staff of the Year three times. In 2007, Montgomery's staff was named the National Staff of the Year. Montgomery's teams not only succeed on the field but also in the classroom. In 2010, Megan Murphy earned Academic All-District honors as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). SIUE was ranked No. 16 in the nation by the NFCA for the 2009-2010 academic year with a team grade point average of 3.410. On the field, Montgomery has coached 11 All-Americans and 52 players with All-Region status. Montgomery enters the 2011 season with a milestone straight ahead. She needs two victories for 800 and holds a career record of 798-369-2. She led the Cougars to the NCAA Division II National Tournament 11 times and won the GLVC Tournament five times, including three consecutive titles from 2006-2008. The 2009 season marked the 14th straight season Montgomery's teams won 30 or more games. Montgomery finished out her collegiate softball career at SIUE where she became one of the most successful pitchers in the school's history. She hurled 42 shutouts and finished with a career record of 84-26. As a senior, Montgomery tallied a record of 30-8 with a 0.64 earned run average. In her senior year, she was named a Central region All-American and voted Most Valuable Player. Montgomery had held the school records for most career wins and most career strikeouts. Both were broken in 2009 by Cougar senior Kaitlin Colosimo. She graduated from SIUE with a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1986. In 1988, she earned her master's degree in physical education from SIUE.