August 5, 2004

Boca Raton, FL - Joan Joyce, Florida Atlantic University's head softball and women's golf coach, has been awarded a four-year contract extension, announced Athletics Director Craig Angelos, Thursday.

Joyce has been the only coach of the softball team since it started in 1995. During her 10 years at the helm, the team has dominated the Atlantic Sun Conference. In 2004, it won its eighth straight A-Sun Championship, a record for any team in the A-Sun's 26 years of competition. Joyce's overall FAU record is 473-216. Since 2000, the team has averaged 53 wins which is fourth best in the nation. The Owls have also qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the past six years. FAU is one of only 18 teams in the nation to have played in each NCAA Tournament since 1999.

Joyce has been FAU's women's golf coach since 1996. During her tenure, she has coached three A-Sun Players-of-the-Year. Last season, the Lady Owls finished sixth or better in all of their tournaments. In addition, for the first time, FAU had a player qualify for the NCAA Regional. "Joan has done such an outstanding job at FAU," said Angelos. "She has taken this softball program to the elite level and brings so much credibility to the sport and to FAU. We wanted to reward her for her efforts."

A member of the National Amateur Softball Hall of Fame, Joyce is a legend in the softball world with a career pitching record of 753 wins and 42 losses. Included in her totals, she pitched 150 no-hit, no-run games and 50 perfect games. Joyce also played on the LPGA Tour for 19 years. During that time she set a record for fewest putts (17) in a round of golf. Joyce is one of only three Americans who have been inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame.