Maryland native Tracey Dahlen enters her first season as assistant coach at the University of West Alabama, joining the program last fall. Dahlen, a native of Pasadena, Md., comes to UWA after closing out her intercollegiate playing career at Elon University in Elon, N.C. Dahlen finished a stellar career on the softball diamond last spring under EU head coach Patti Raduenz and Assistant Coach Keli Jo Storz, a former UWA softball player and assistant coach. Dahlen started 219 games for EU and currently holds 11 top ten positions in the school’s record book. She is Elon’s all-time assists leader and third all-time in career at bats and fourth in career home runs. As a senior, Dahlen led Elon in batting average (.352) and on base percentage (.424) along with a team-best 57 hits. She was tabbed First Team All-Southern Conference as a junior and senior and was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player last season. She also earned conference weekly awards in 2007 and 2008. Off the field, Dahlen cumulated a four-year grade point average of 3.24 and was named to the Dean’s List in the Fall of 2007. She was also a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll from 2004-08. Dahlen was also EU softball’s representative on the Student Athletic Advisory Council.

Dahlen, 22, worked a plethora of skill clinics at Elon, leading groups in the pitcher/catcher clinics and the all skills clinics. She assisted the 18 and under Lake Shore Lightning girls softball squad in the summer of 2007, working primarily with the infielders and hitters. In June of 2007, Dahlen participated in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Youth Education Through Sports (YES Clinic) in Oklahoma City, Okla., in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s College World Series.

Dahlen earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from Elon in Physical Education with an emphasis on Coaching and Exercise Sport Science. She is the daughter of Bud and Pattie Dahlen.