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Deb Vercauteren, who guided University of Wisconsin Oshkosh women’s track and field teams to 14 national titles and 21 conference championships, is stepping down after 28 seasons as head coach of the Titans.

Vercauteren, the longest-tenured head women’s track and field coach in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) history, will stay involved with the program she built into a national power as an assistant coach. She will maintain her UW Oshkosh positions of head women’s cross country coach and senior assistant director of athletics.

“It’s time for a change, and I’m excited about my opportunity to serve as an assistant track and field coach,” Vercauteren said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time as head coach and am thankful for all the opportunities and support that the UW Oshkosh administration has given me. I’m proud of the success we’ve had, including winning championships and having student-athletes shine in the classroom.”

Vercauteren’s track and field teams excelled at the national level, especially in 1995, 1996, 2004 and 2006 when the Titans captured National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III indoor and outdoor titles. UW Oshkosh also won NCAA Division III indoor championships in 1994 and 2005 and NCAA Division III outdoor titles in 1990, 1991, 1997 and 2007.

Additionally, Vercauteren coached UW Oshkosh to five second-place finishes (1989, 1992, 1994, 2005, 2009) at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship and four second-place finishes (1990-92, 2002) at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship.

Competing for WIAC supremacy, Vercauteren directed UW Oshkosh to 11 indoor and 10 outdoor  titles. The Titans tallied 23 second-place finishes at the WIAC championships.

Vercauteren was named UW Oshkosh’s head women’s track and field coach in 1982. Five years later, the Titans finished 13th at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championship and 18th at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championship.

UW Oshkosh Director of Athletics Allen Ackerman saluted Vercauteren’s leadership of the women’s track and field program.

“An era comes to a close with Deb as our head women’s track and field coach,” Ackerman said. “Fortunately for UW Oshkosh and our student-athletes, Deb will still be a part of the athletics department. The women in our track and field program will still get the mentoring and have the opportunity to be associated with one of the all-time coaching greats at any level.”

UW Oshkosh student-athletes combined to total 56 national titles, 320 All-America awards and 319 conference titles during Vercauteren’s term as head track and field coach. A total of 11 student-athletes received Academic All-America honors by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

“There’s not enough words to express my amazing experience with Coach Vercauteren and the UW Oshkosh women’s track and field program,” said Liz Woodworth, who won nine NCAA Division III titles as a member of the Titans from 2001-04. “She was a fantastic coach, a great mentor and friend. She taught me a lot about running, self-confidence and life. I’m very proud of her and all that she has accomplished.”

Vercauteren has been recognized often for her team’s success. The USTFCCCA named her NCAA Division III Outdoor Coach of the Year in 2004 and NCAA Division III Indoor Coach of the Year in 2006. She was selected WIAC Indoor Coach of the Year and WIAC Outdoor Coach of the Year nine times each.

“Ever since I set foot on the UW Oshkosh campus, Coach Vercauteren always had my best interest at heart,” said Nadine Pieske, who earned 10 NCAA Division III All-America citations as a member of the Titans from 2004-07. “We’ve shared many memorable moments, great times, laughs and tears through the years. To this day, I will never be able to thank her for what she has brought not only to my athletic career, but my life as a friend. I wouldn’t trade her for any other coach out there.”

Vercauteren has been the head women’s cross country coach at UW-Oshkosh since 1981. She began the sport from infancy that season and took the Titans to a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championship the following year.

Prior to the 2009 track and field season, the USTFCCCA created an award to honor Vercauteren and the all-around success that her UW Oshkosh women’s cross country and track and field teams achieved. The Deb Vercauteren Program of the Year Award recognizes the institution that achieved the most success in cross country, indoor track and field and outdoor track and field at the NCAA Division III Championships. The 2009 winner of the Deb Vercauteren Program of the Year Award was Wartburg College (Iowa).

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