Mance to be Honored by Rochester Press Radio Club at the 69th Annual Day of Champions Dinner
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Head coach
Bari Mance of the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College softball team will be honored on Monday, June 18th at the 69th annual Rochester Press Radio Club Day of Champions Dinner as the recipient of the Christine Wagner-Welch Award in recognition of her courage while battling cancer.
Mance, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in August of 2017, never allowed her diagnosis to slow her down as she continued to coach while receiving treatment including chemotherapy throughout the season. Instead, Mance used her illness to champion several fundraising initiatives throughout the last year. Through her efforts, many groups and organizations banded together to raise money and awareness – something Mance is very proud of.
"You don't ever want to hear the words 'you have cancer'," commented Mance, who was named the Empire 8 Coach of the Year in 2018. "I've tried to look at all the positives that have come with this – stronger relationships with my family and friends, the awareness we've generated and the money we've been fortunate enough to raise. I'm so proud to have been a part of it. It makes going through the treatments worth it."
Mance, a two-time National Fastpitch Coaching Association Regional Coach of the Year honoree, guided Fisher to another successful season as the Cardinals posted a 35-10 overall record that saw the team capture its second straight Empire 8 Championship and third consecutive berth into the NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
Under Mance's guidance, Fisher won an NCAA Regional title and came within one victory of advancing to the team's third straight NCAA Championship. With Mance at the helm, Fisher was among the nation's elite all season and was ranked second in the nation at one point. In all, Mance coached 11 All-Conference selections with six moving on to be named All-Region. Mance also played an integral role in the development of four-time All-American pitcher
Lindsey Thayer who recently became the all-time leader in Division III history with 1,540 career strikeouts.
Since taking over the helm from hall-of-fame coach Len Maiorani in 2014, Mance has coached Fisher to the postseason four times including three NCAA appearances. In that span, the 2002 Fisher graduate has amassed 168 wins and owns a .738 winning percentage.
The Day of Champions Dinner is set to take place at 5 p.m. on Monday, June 18th at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center. Former Major League Baseball star Jim Thome, who was recently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, will be the headliner. For more information, please visit
https://www.pressradio.org/index.html.