Shawn Rychcik, one of the nation's most highly respected collegiate coaches, has accepted the challenge to build NC State softball into an ACC and NCAA Championship-caliber program, athletics director Deborah A. Yow announced on Friday. Rychcik guided Boston University to NCAA Regionals and America East Conference championships in three of the last four seasons.

"Shawn has a clear vision of how to mold our softball program into one destined for the College World Series. His recruiting results and graduation outcomes, achieved within a modest infrastructure, are quite simply stunning. We were drawn to his values and work ethic. The fit for NC State is an excellent one and we welcome Shawn and his family to our Wolfpack Family," said Yow.

Rychcik's squads posted the only two 40-win seasons in school history, with 43 in 2009 and 41 this past season, including defeats of four top 25 national opponents. He is the all-time winningest coach in BU history with a 271-159 record in eight seasons, including an outstanding 114-40 record in America East Conference play. He built the Terriers into an America East powerhouse, finishing first or second in the regular-season standings in seven of his eight seasons as head coach, winning four regular-season titles and three conference tournament championships.

"I would like to thank Deborah Yow and her staff for giving me and my family this tremendous opportunity. From the moment I got to Raleigh, I felt that this was a perfect fit for me. I am looking forward to this challenge and believe we will build North Carolina State softball into an ACC and National Championship contender," said Rychcik.

Rychcik's BU teams completely rewrote the school's offensive record books, setting 10 offensive team records and 11 individual single-season marks. His 2007 team was ranked fourth in the nation with 65 home runs in 48 games, sixth in slugging percentage and 12th in scoring.

He first arrived at Boston University as an assistant coach in 2002, a position he held for two years until he was elevated to head coach in the summer of 2004. Prior to BU, he served as first assistant at St. Bonaventure and Millikin University.