Nov 11, 2010 8:21:59 AM

Muskingum softball coach Donna Newberry died Wednesday in New Concord, Ohio, after a long battle with cancer. She was 58.

Newberry, the all-time wins leader in Division III softball, became the 25th coach across all NCAA divisions to achieve 900 victories last April. She finished her softball coaching career with 906 wins.

A National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame member, Newberry's teams won 18 Ohio Athletic Conference championships and made 18 NCAA regional appearances. Her Muskies advanced to eight NCAA finals and captured Muskingum's first NCAA national championship in 2001. The school named its softball field in her honor on October 9.

She also was a national coach of the year in basketball, earning 403 victories and three OAC championships. She led her 1991 team to a second-place national finish. Newberry is the only Division III coach to win more than 400 games in two sports.

A statement on the Muskingum website says Newberry's greatest legacy "lives on in the generations of Muskingum students, upon whom she had a profound and lasting impact.  She created champions in every sense of the word, leading by example and teaching our students to hone the personal attributes needed for success in any endeavor – drive, perseverance, ‘mental toughness,' a keen intellect, and the desire to continually learn, grow, and enhance their skills and abilities. She inspired us all to reach for new levels of excellence."

Newberry graduated from Glenville State College and earned a master's degree from Ohio University.