University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Softball Camps
Coaching Staff
Chris Helixon
Head Coach
Chris Helixon completed his sixth season as the UW-La Crosse head softball coach in 2011. He has led the Eagles to three consecutive appearances in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Tournament.
UW-L made its first trip to the national tournament since 1986 with its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament title in 2009. The Eagles went 0-2 in the 2009 NCAA III Regional, but came back to record a 2-2 mark in the 2010 regional. UW-L went 1-2 at the 2011 NCAA III Regional held at UW-Eau Claire.
The Eagles finished 28-16 overall and 11-5 in the WIAC in 2011. The team was 38-9 overall and 16-0 in the conference in 2010, winning its first league title in school history. The Eagles won the WIAC Tournament in 2009 and 2010 under Helixon.
UW-L set school records for wins (39), winning streak (21), at-bats (1,317), runs (283), hits (431), RBI (254), doubles (67) and home runs (39) in 2010. The team also set pitching records for innings (322.0) and strikeouts (283).
For his efforts, Helixon was named the 2010 WIAC Coach of the Year.
The 2010 squad broke several school records set in 2009, including victories (34), runs (282), hits (412), doubles (65) and RBI (244). UW-L went 34-12 overall and 12-4 in the WIAC in 2009, also setting a school record with a .330 batting average. The team had pitching records for saves (7) and strikeouts (240).
The Eagles have had 15 players named to the All-WIAC First Team in Helixon's six years. In 2010, Jenna Ahnen was named the WIAC Position Player of the Year while Heather Schultz was selected the league's Pitcher of the Year. Ahnen garnered the position player of the year award again in 2011, becoming the second player in conference history to earn the recognition.
He has compiled a 153-103 record in his six seasons at UW-L.
Helixon served as head softball coach at Viterbo University (Wis.) from 1998-2002 and was named the 2001 Midwest Classic Conference Coach of the Year. He compiled a 52-84-1 record at Viterbo.
Earning a bachelor’s degree in leadership psychology from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1990, Helixon was a three-year starter in the outfield for the Black Knights. He was awarded All-Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League Second-Team honors.
Helixon earned his master’s degree in sports administration from UW-L in 1995 after a two-year graduate assistantship with the Eagles’ athletic department. He served as the assistant to the interim athletics director for the Eagles in 1998.
Helixon worked as an operations intern with the St. Paul Slam Professional Basketball Team in 1996-97 and as an operations/facilities intern with the University of Kentucky Athletics Association in 1995-96. He has played on numerous fastpitch softball teams - most notably the Menomonie Blues and Colorado Springs Blues.
Helixon, his wife Tracy, and children Isaac (9), Michael (7), and Ellie (3) reside in Onalaska.
Tom Clements
Assistant Coach
Tom Clements completed his third season as an assistant softball coach for UW-La Crosse in 2011.
He served as head softball coach at Lyle/Pacelli High School in Austin, Minnesota, from 1997 to 2002. During his tenure at Lyle/Pacelli, Clements compiled an overall record of 113-33 and coached six All-State selections, including three pitchers.
Lyle/Pacelli finished fourth in the Minnesota Class A State Tournament in 1999 and second in 2001.
Clements received the Minnesota Coaches Association Award for reaching 100 career victories and the Breaking Barriers Award in 2003 for the promotion of women's sports.
He was also selected to coach in the Minnesota State High School League Softball Series.
"I am thrilled to have Coach Clements on staff here at UW-L," says Eagles' head coach Chris Helixon. "The student-athletes in the softball program have benefited greatly from his competitive spirit, his vast knowledge of the game, and his strong attention to detail."
Kim Brasil
Assistant Coach
Kim Brasil begins in her first year as an assistant coach at UW-La Crosse in 2012.
A native of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Brasil was a standout softball player at the University of South Carolina Upstate, a Division I program in the Atlantic Sun Conference. She was part of the first Division I recruiting class for Upstate after the university moved its athletics program to Division membership in 2007-08. In four years in the program, she helped lead the Spartans to a share of the regular season A-Sun championship in 2008, an appearance in the championship game of the A-Sun Tournament in 2010 and a Division I school record 42 wins in 2011.
Brasil ended her playing career as the top offensive player during Upstate’s Division I era. She owns 10 career school records during the Division I era, including most games played and started (194), hits (207), runs (141) and doubles (50). Her .324 career batting average is third. She also owns 10 single-season school records during the Division I era, including 21 doubles and 48 runs in 2010.
Overall, Brasil’s name appears in the Top-10 in 10 statistical categories at Upstate. She ranks fourth all-time in doubles (50), fifth in hits (207) and sixth in runs (141). She is the only player who has played all four years on the Division I level to reach the top-10 in those three statistical categories. Her 21 doubles in 2010 are the second-most in program history.
Brasil never hit below .314 in any season during her four years at Upstate. She hit .314 as a freshman in helping Upstate win 11 of its final 12 A-Sun games en route to earning a share of the regular season A-Sun conference championship in 2008. She had a breakout year in 2009, hitting .342 and earning second team all-conference honors as a sophomore. A preseason all-conference selection as a junior in 2010, she led the nation with 21 doubles, tying Hawaii’s Jessica Iwata. Brasil was an A-Sun All-Tournament selection after leading the Spartans to the championship game of the tournament. She hit .323 during her junior year. She ended her career hitting .322 as a senior and helped lead Upstate to a Division I era school record 42 wins in 2011 en route to earning second team all-conference honors.
In addition to her play on the field, she was a four-time member of the A-Sun All-Academic team and a three-time member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Scholar-Athlete list. She was also a President Scholar and inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma South Carolina ETA in 2011. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in education and was recognized as a 2011 NASPE Physical Education Major of the Year.
Brasil is working towards earning a master’s degree of physical education at UW-La Crosse. Brasil is engaged to her fiancé, Jesse, and will be getting married in the fall of 2012.
Jenna Ahnen
Assistant Coach
Jenna Ahnen begins her first season as a student assistant coach for UW-La Crosse in 2012.
A four-year letter winner for the Eagles, Ahnen was a three-time Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) First Team selection in her career (2009, 2010, 2011). She was named the WIAC Position Player of the Year in 2010 and 2011, becoming the second player in league history to earn the award twice.
Ahnen started 177 of 178 career games at UW-L as the Eagles finished with a record of 122-56 (.685).
UW-L won its first WIAC championship in school history in 2010. The Eagles won back-to-back conference tournament titles in 2009 and 2010.
She holds school records for career batting average (.431), hits (237), runs (154) and stolen bases (55) while being tied for first in doubles (37). Ahnen is second in career at-bats (550) and tied for third in RBI (101).
She holds single-season school records in batting average (.478) and hits (74) while being tied for first in runs (49).
Ahnen is pursuing her undergraduate degree in physical education and health education with an adapted physical education minor.
Eagles Softball Team
Members of the softball team will serve as instructors. Eagles players include 4-year letter winners, WIAC All-Conference Selections, and All-Great Lakes Region Selections. All of the players have been involved with the sport for more than 10 years. They bring skill, knowledge and enthusiasm to give campers the best experience possible.
