POTSDAM -- The Clarkson University Athletic Department has chosen Kristen McGaughey as the head coach for the Golden Knights’ new softball program.

McGaughey, who has been assistant coach for the softball team at Bethany College in West Virginia, will use the 2012-13 school year to begin recruiting for Clarkson’s first softball season in the spring of 2014.

Softball will be Clarkson's 20th intercollegiate team. The Golden Knights are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and participate at the Division III level in the Liberty League.

McGaughey is no stranger to overseeing the startup of an athletic program, having served as the head coach for the newly reinstated women’s field hockey team at Bethany in 2011-12. During her time as the Bison’s field hockey head coach, McGaughey was recruiting, ordering equipment, creating a schedule and carrying out all the other responsibilities required to form a team.

“Launching a new sport from scratch is not an easy assignment for any institution,” Clarkson Athletic Director Steve Yianoukos said. “We were very fortunate to have someone of Kristen’s caliber rise to the top of our nationwide search. Her experience at a rising softball program at Bethany College was certainly a plus, and her additional time spent developing its women’s field hockey program for this coming season was also a key component.”

In her four seasons on the Bison’s softball staff, McGaughey helped Bethany to 101 victories, including a school-record 35 in 2010.

An Ohio native, McGaughey was a standout softball player at Division II Ashland (Ohio) University from 2004-08. She finished her collegiate playing days ranked third in career home runs (19) and fifth in career RBIs (99) at Ashland.