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Franklin & Marshall College

Franklin & Marshall College Athletics
 P.O. Box 3003 Lancaster, PA 176043003
Division 3 Pennsylvania Northeast
Private Small Developing team
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Kaitlyn Cooper

Kaitlyn Cooper was named head coach of the Franklin & Marshall softball team in August of 2022 and will begin her third season with the Diplomats during the 2025 season. Cooper brings a strong background to the position as a previous head coach at Delaware Valley, along with her established professional career in the field of Exercise Physiology. In just her first season at Franklin & Marshall, Cooper received the NFCA Leadership & Impact Award as 17 of her student-athletes were named NFCA Scholar-Athletes and the team was also in the thick of the Centennial Conference playoff hunt right up until the final week of the regular season.


"F&M's commitment to student-athlete development and its powerful track record of preparing players for their next step, is unparalleled," explained Cooper at the time of her hiring. "This program is ready to take its competition to the next level and I am here to provide them with the tools to do so. We stand ready to build on the momentum of previous success and create the legacy of F&M Softball."


Cooper made the quick ascension to the head coaching ranks after joining the staff at Delaware Valley prior to the 2018 season. She was tabbed as the team's interim head coach in the middle of that campaign and was promoted to head coach where she held that position up until 2020.


During her time leading Delaware Valley, Cooper helped standout pitcher Jamie Stefani become the first All-American in that program's history. Stefani was one of three All-Middle Atlantic Conference performers that Cooper mentored during her time as head coach. Cooper's teams also found great success in the classroom as 16 student-athletes were named to the MAC Spring Academic Honor Roll. Cooper also spent time on staff as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Cabrini University.


"Kaitlyn has a deep understanding and appreciation of the Division III philosophy during her time as a two-sport athlete and head coach. Her experience and background as an Exercise Physiologist will be another tremendous benefit to our student-athletes as they strive to maximize their undergraduate experience," stated Director of Athletics & Recreation Lauren Packer Webster at the time of Cooper's hiring.


Since January of 2021, Cooper has worked as the Lead Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac Rehabilitation at Recora Health. During that time, she has coordinated the full exercise prescription and injury prevention programs for numerous clients, helping them obtain better performance and rehabilitation results after a cardiac event. Jumping into the coaching ranks full-time, Cooper has a strong background to lean on as she has been coaching travel softball since she was undergraduate student at Cabrini and has nearly a decade of experience with personal training.


Cooper is a 2017 graduate of Cabrini where she earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science and health promotion. She was a four-time all-conference selection on the diamond for the Cavaliers' softball team, including first-team recognition during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. She hit .370 during her career with 124 RBI and 17 home runs, earning third-team all-region accolades from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA). Her athletic exploits were not limited to the diamond as she was additionally named the CSAC Player of the Year for women's soccer in 2015 during another all-region campaign.

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Meredith McAlister

Meredith McAlister joined the Franklin & Marshall softball team as an assistant coach prior to the 2023 season. McAlister brings over 15 years of coaching experience to the Diplomats, previously serving as the head softball coach at Severna Park High School since 2005 where she was responsible for all aspects of the varsity and JV programs. Her responsibilities included an enhanced approach to video analysis, scouting, and camp instruction. During her time as head coach, Severna Park won a state championship, made two more state championship appearances, won four East Region titles, and captured seven Anne Arundel County Championships.


An inductee into the Severna Park Hall of Fame for her contributions as both a player and coach, McAlister has also been recognized as the Capital Gazette and Washington Post Coach of the Year throughout her career. In August of 2020, McAlister founded TNT Maryland Softball which serves as an elite softball program in central Maryland that prepares student-athletes for the college athletics. Beginning her own collegiate playing career at Long Island University, she led the Sharks to two Division I Northeast Championships and NCAA Tournament in appearances in both softball and soccer before transferring to the University of Maryland where she graduated in 2003.


In addition to her coaching expertise on the diamond, McAlister additionally led Severna Park’s girls’ basketball team for many years before more recently becoming an assistant rugby coach Mount Saint Mary’s University. Those rugby teams have won six Division II National Championships to date under her tutelage. McAlister maintains active coaching certifications with the NCAA, NFHS, USA SafeSport, USA Softball, and National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).

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