May 15, 2008

Huntingdon Softball Head Coach Angela Cook Resigns Post With Lady Hawks

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Huntingdon softball head coach and Senior Women’s Administrator Angela Cook announced on Thursday that she will not return to the College for a ninth year.

“Huntingdon College has been like a second family to me, making this decision even tougher,” Cook said. “The softball program, College administration and athletic department personnel mean so much to me and to my family. However, the last 16 months following the loss of Megan has been such a trying time that I feel like to further heal, I must step away. Megan was so intertwined in my life at Huntingdon that by taking this next step, I feel a touch of closure. I really feel like God is leading me in this decision and I am putting my faith in Him entirely.”

Cook posted a 127-94-1 overall record, with three Great South Athletic Conference Softball Tournament championships during her six-year stint at the helm of the Lady Hawks. Huntingdon also won the GSAC Regular-Season title in 2004 and shared top team honors in 2005.

"Angela Cook has been an excellent coach and role model for her student-athletes,” Huntingdon President J. Cameron West said. “She has a deep passion for the game of softball and for coaching, and has shown great courage in the face of tragic personal circumstances following the death of her daughter last year. We all understand her need for time away from the game as she and her family continue to heal."

“When you think about Huntingdon softball, Angela Cook is one of the first names that come to mind,” Director of Athletics Buzz Phillips said. “Coach Cook and her family have been through a tough last year and handled it as well as anyone could imagine. She has been such a great asset to our athletic department and will be sorely missed by the Huntingdon community and our athletic family.”

Joining the Huntingdon staff in 2001, Cook spent two seasons as an assistant coach with the Lady Hawks, before taking over for Kristie Betancur in 2003.

“I am so grateful to Kristie (Betancur) for giving me a chance to coach at the collegiate level,” Cook continued. “For the past six seasons, I have had a chance to work with my father (Assistant Coach Don Ratliff) and my mother (a statistician with the team), both of which I feel I became closer with during that time.”

As the Lady Hawks’ head coach, Cook coached 12 All-GSAC performers, while also placing numerous student-athletes on the Great South Athletic Conference All-Academic team.

In addition to her coaching duties, Cook has also served as the Senior Women’s Administrator at Huntingdon since 2002.

Huntingdon has established a search committee, chaired by Phillips, which is working to fill its coaching vacancy.

“I have a shortly list of candidates that I would like to contact,” Phillips said. “This is a crucial time for the softball program, but I do not want to rush the hiring process. Finding a replacement with the integrity and character of Angela Cook is my top priority.”

“I would like to thank President West, Jay Dorman, Laura Duncan and Buzz and Nancy Phillips for their unbelievable support following the tragic loss of Megan,” Cook concluded. “I can honestly say that without the love of my husband, Michael, and son, Ryan, as well as my Huntingdon family, I would not have been able to make it this far.”