BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University softball head coach Amy Suiter has announced that she will be stepping down from her position as the head coach of the Vikings.

Suiter, who guided the Vikings to a 211-179 (.541) record in her 8 seasons with the program from 2011-2018, is leaving the position as WWU’s head coach based on her desire to spend more time with her family and ambition to utilize her extensive education in mental skills training and sport psychology.

“This was a decision based on my family and I felt like it was time for a new chapter,” said Suiter. “I have three little kids at home and I want to make sure that I am there as a mother during these important years. My time at Western and with the student-athletes has been amazing, and I am very proud of the growth of this program. I am happy with the many ways we improved since the day I came on campus. I feel like I’ve left it in a good spot and am proud of the job that was done.”

While a national search for the new coach of the softball program will begin immediately, Suiter has agreed to stay on staff in a consulting role through the end of the summer. She will be heavily involved with summer camps, help in the recruiting process and with the transition to the new coaching staff.

Under her watch, WWU advanced to a pair of NCAA Division II Championships in 2011 and 2017. The Vikings finished the 2017 season 34-19 overall and made a late-season run to finish 2nd in the league with a 19-9 record. After breezing through the GNAC Championships to win the conference’s automatic bid, the Vikings won their first NCAA tournament game upsetting West Regional No. 1 seed Cal State Monterey Bay. The Vikings are coming off a 15-32 season in 2018 and finished 7th in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 9-19 league record.

Suiter is leaving the collegiate ranks after nine seasons, eight with WWU and one as the interim head coach at Texas Tech University in 2009. Prior to her becoming a college coach, the Mount Vernon, Washington native was a standout softball player at the University of Washington where she was a two-time team captain and played in the NCAA College World Series in 2000 and 2003.