Liz Garthright is in her third season as the Crusaders' head softball coach. She guided her 2008 squad to a 22-22 record and a second-place finish at the MCC Tournament.

Garthright came to Clarke from the University of Sioux Falls, where she had served as the Cougars' assistant head softball coach the past four years.

A native of Lincoln, Neb., Garthright was a four-year starting catcher at Sioux Falls and earned honorable mention All-Great Plains Athletic Conference honors in 2002 and second-team All-Conference laurels in 2003. The three-time team captain earned team MVP honors in 2003 when she led the Cougars in doubles, RBIs, bases-on-balls and fielding percentage (.987). Garthright holds the school mark for runners thrown out in a season (14).

Garthright was an assistant on the Cougars' coaching staff that led the 2005 squad to its first NAIA National Softball Tournament appearance. The Cougars set a school single-season win mark (29) and won both the Great Plains Athletic Conference and Region III postseason tournaments that year.

While at Sioux Falls, Garthright served as an admissions counselor from 2003 to 2005.

Garthright received her bachelor of arts degree in wellness from the University of Sioux Falls and is working toward her masters degree in health, physical education and recreation with focus on athletic administration from South Dakota State University.