Vol.24, No. 03	Sept. 18, 1998

ATHLETICS: Two New Head Coaches Join Athletics Staff to Lead Baseball, Softball Teams

CHRISTINE VOGT, FORMER HARVARD STANDOUT, IS NAMED COACH OF CU'S FIRST SOFTBALL TEAM

Christine Vogt, an assistant softball coach at Smith College who was a standout player at Harvard, has been selected as head coach of Columbia's first softball team.

Currently a club varsity, the sport will attain full varsity status in 2000, and will begin to play a full Ivy League schedule in the year 2001.

Vogt has spent the past two seasons as coach of pitchers and catchers at Smith, and has also specialized in coaching the hitters. Also the assistant field hockey coach at Smith, she earned a master's degree in exercise and sports studies there, and was a Nike Fellow. She used the fellowship's 2-year research grant to study the effect of sports participation on self-esteem in pre-adolescent females.

Vogt, a native of Amherst, Mass., was the starting catcher for four seasons at Harvard. She was the Crimson's Most Valuable Player in 1994, her senior season and earned All-Ivy League honors. She also played field hockey at Harvard.

Following her 1994 graduation with an A.B. in psychology, she coached high school softball and field hockey, and played softball professionally with the Virginia Roadsters.

"Christine has a strong background in softball," said John A. Reeves, Columbia's Director of Physical Education and Intercollegiate Athletics. "She is a highly-qualified, enthusiastic young coach, and I am confident she will grow with the program as it progresses to full Ivy League round-robin status. She was the strong choice both of our search committee and the students who met her during the search process."

MIK AOKI, FORMER ASSISTANT COACH AT DARTMOUTH, WILL LEAD LIONS BASEBALL

Mikio Aoki has been appointed head baseball coach at Columbia. Aoki - who is known as "Mik" - has served as the top assistant coach at Dartmouth for the past four years. His primary responsibilities included game coaching, working with position players, and recruiting.

"I'm very enthused that Mik Aoki will be our next baseball coach," Reeves said. "His background as a coach and player have prepared him perfectly for our position. "I'm especially pleased that [former baseball coach] Paul Fernandes thought highly of Mik, and that our student-athletes shared that view. Many of them were involved in the search process. They reviewed more than 80 applicants, some with Division I head coaching experience, and felt strongly that Mik was the one that best filled our needs."

In addition to his Dartmouth experience, Aoki coached at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Conn., and at Ohio University. He also was the head coach of the Columbus All-Americans summer collegiate baseball team.

Aoki grew up in Plymouth, Mass. He attended Davidson College, during which he was ranked in the top 10 in seven different career categories. He holds the Wildcat season record for doubles.

Following his 1990 graduation, with a B.A. in English, he played professionally for a year in The Netherlands. Aoki also holds a master's in athletic administration from Ohio U.

- Athletic Communications