It hasn't taken Angie Nicholson long to accomplish her goal of making Cleveland State one of the top programs in the Horizon League.

With 189 wins, a pair of regular season league titles, one tournament title and NCAA appearance in her first six seasons, she has quickly built the Vikings into an elite program.

A two-time Horizon League Coach of the Year selection, Nicholson has guided the Vikings to 29 or more wins in five of her first six seasons, including a school-record 44 wins in 2010. She has more than double the three 30-win campaigns that CSU had in the 28 seasons before she took over the program.

And she is looking for even better things in the future.

The 2000 Cleveland State graduate took over as head coach in the fall of 2006 and the success quickly followed.

During just her first season at CSU (2007), she led the Vikings to a second place regular season finish in the Horizon League after posting a 33-14 record and was one inning away from winning the Horizon League Championship, earning a second place finish.

Four Vikings earned All-Horizon League honors and two received academic league accolades under Nicholson in her first season as head coach and her 33 wins are the fourth-highest total in program history.

In 2008, she earned her first Coach of the Year award after the Vikings went 31-18 and won a regular season Horizon League title. Four CSU players earned all-conference honors and two were named to the all-newcomer team.

The 2009 season saw the Vikings go 35-18 overall, finishing second in the league in the regular season and capping the year by winning the first Horizon League title in school history. That win clinched CSU's second berth in the NCAA tournament and first since 1997. Six players were named to the all-league team, including the Horizon League Pitcher of the Year for the second season in a row.

The 35 wins allowed Nicholson to became the first head coach in program history to lead the Vikings to three consecutive 30-win seasons.

Nicholson did those records one better in 2010 as the Vikings set a Horizon League record by going 22-2 in league play and set a school record with 44 victories. The Vikings swept the league awards with Tthe Player of the Year, the Newcomer of the Year and Pitcher of the Year all coming from Cleveland State in addition to Nicholson being chosen as the Coach of the Year.

In 2011, Cleveland State won 29 games and had two all-league performers, including the league Player of the Year. Four different Vikings were named to the academic all-league team.

Last season, the Vikings finished the year 17-39, and 9-15 in the Horizon League. Cleveland State had three players recognized as all-league performers in 2012. Junior Dara Toman led the way with a First Team All-League selection. While sophomore Sara Shields was named both Second Team All-League and All-Newcomer team selection, and freshman Nena Doran joined Shields on the All-Newcomer team.

Nicholson begins her seventh season at CSU with a 189-125 record and a eight-year overall record of 232-172-1 that does not include a 94-64 mark in four years at the junior college level.