BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Art Phinney, who in 1998 directed the Western Washington University softball team to the first national team championship in school history, passed away from a heart attack on Monday, July 15, at Vancouver, Washington.
 
Phinney, 58, coached the Vikings for seven seasons from 1995-2001, posting a record of 186-110-1. Western won 30 or more games in each of his last four years.
 
In 1998, the Vikings made a remarkable run to win the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national title after receiving the seventh and final at-large berth to nationals.
 
Phinney received NAIA National Coach of the Year honors for that achievement. Additionally, he was named the Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1996 as Western won the PNWAC title. He also was the Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year in 2001 when the Vikings took that league's West Division title.
 
Prior to his seven-year stretch at head coach of the Vikings, Phinney was the head coach at Skagit Valley College for three years (1985-88), directing the Cardinals to a 74-40 record and three runner-up finishes at the Northwest Athletic Conference Tournament.
 
For the last eight years, Phinney was the Sports Ministry Director at Living Hope Church in Vancouver, Wash.
 
A 1985 graduate of SVC, Phinney directed numerous coaching, hitting and pitching clinics for club, high school and college teams. He was a 1978 graduate of Burlington-Edison High School.
 
A memorial service date is still being determined.
 

FOLLOW THE VIKS

Up-to-date season information, including season statistics, bios, roster, schedule and historical information can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com/Softball. WWU Softball also has a strong social media presence on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, so give them a follow!
 

ABOUT WWU SOFTBALL

The WWU softball program recently completed its 27^th season, with the Vikings posting a winning record in 17 seasons. WWU won the 1998 NAIA National Championship to record the school's first ever team national title and has made four trips to the NCAA Division II Regional Championships, last in 2017. Over the last six (since 2014), the Vikings are 162-122 (.555) and won the 2017 GNAC Tournament to advance to the NCAA II West Regional in Monterey, California. Head coach Sheryl Gilmore recently completed her first season at the helm of the program, leading WWU to 27 wins, tied for the 10^th-most in program history.