Kathryn Gleason enters her second season at the helm of the Huskies softball program in 2025-26.
Gleason was named the head coach of the Huskies on July 2, 2024.
Gleason began her head coaching career at Boston University for three seasons. She has earned 173 of those wins at Northern Kentucky, the second-most in program history.
During the 2025 season, Gleason guided the NIU softball program to their first MAC Tournament appearance since the 2019 season. Four Huskies earned All-MAC honors, including three first team appearances. Danielle Stewart was named to the NFCA All-Region team for the third straight year. Five Huskies earned CSC Academic All-MAC honors while the team matched a school-best 13 Academic All-MAC honors. Stewart and Lily Cassell earned Pitcher/Player of the Week honors during the season. Gleason achieved her 250th career win against Central Arkansas (Feb. 14). Jenna Turner broke the school record for most runs in a single game (5) while the team broke the school record for most RBIs (20) and tied runs scored in a single game (20). All the records fell on April 12 against Buffalo.
In 2024, Gleason guided the Norse to a 27-win campaign and a runner-up finish in the Horizon League Tournament. Northern Kentucky had six players earn conference honors, including the Horizon League Co-Defensive Player of the Year Maddie Lacer, four all-league selections and one all-freshman team honoree.
In 2023, Gleason led Northern Kentucky to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history and she was named Horizon League Coach of the Year. The Norse earned their first win over a Power Five conference program as they defeated Michigan State, 3-1, while off the field, Northern Kentucky had a team GPA of 3.63, which ranked in the top-30 in NCAA Division I softball.
During her nine seasons at Northern Kentucky, Gleason mentored 22 All-Horizon League selections, eight Horizon League All-Freshman Team honorees, 11 Horizon League All-Tournament honorees and two Horizon League Defensive Players of the Year.
Prior to taking over at Northern Kentucky, Gleason was the head coach at Boston University for three seasons from 2013-15. In 2014, she led the Terriers to a 36-win season, a Patriot League Tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Boston University defeated Louisville in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, recording the first tournament win by a Patriot League school since 2009.
Gleason's coaching career began as an assistant at UMass between 1997-2000, where she helped them to four consecutive Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament championships, as well as trips to the Women's College World Series in 1997 and '98.
The Country Club Hills, Illinois, native then spent three seasons at Purdue (2002-04) as an assistant coach, followed by six at Michigan State (2005-10), the last five of which she served as associate head coach. Gleason returned to UMass as associate head coach for two years (2011-12), helping them to conference regular season and tournament titles and a NCAA Tournament appearance, before taking over as head coach at Boston University.
Gleason played collegiately at Michigan from 1993-96, helping the Wolverines win three Big Ten regular season crowns (1993, '95, '96) and two tournament titles (1995, '96). She also helped Michigan reach the Women's College World Series twice (1995, '96). Gleason earned her bachelor's degree in sport management and communications from Michigan in 1996 and her master's degree in sport management from UMass in 2001. Gleason attended Marian Catholic High School and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2002.
