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In his 20th season as the head men's and women's cross country and track & field coach, Pete Corfeld continues to make his mark as one of the most successful coaches the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has ever seen. "Pete has done a tremendous job of building his program so that it is at the top of the Horizon League year in and year out," UWM athletics director Bud Haidet said. "He's our longest-tenured coach and we are fortunate to keep him and see his program continue to succeed." Corfeld has guided his teams to 30 league indoor and outdoor track championships and three cross country crowns. His 33 league titles are by far more than any other coach in school history. Last season, the Panther men claimed league titles at both the indoor and outdoor meets for the fifth-straight year. In 2007, the Panthers won men's and women's Horizon League championships at both the indoor and outdoor meets. The sweep was just the second by any league school in history. The first team to accomplish the feat was Milwaukee in 2001. Individually, six athletes were recognized as outstanding performer or newcomer of the year, while the program accumulated 35 individual championships over the two meets. The 2007 success did not end at the league meet, as a school record eight athletes competed at the NCAA Mideast Regional. Nick Gretz qualified for the NCAA Championships and Amber Curtis finished sixth in the discus, making herself eligible for the NCAA Championships. The throwers performances netted UWM points at the regional meet for the first time. Last season's titles marked the ninth and 10th-straight for the Milwaukee men, while the sweep was its eighth since 1998. All told, the men's program has won 20 of the last 23 league meets. That stretch includes 10 of the 11 outdoor championships the league has sponsored. While the men have found unparalleled success, the women have not been far behind. In fact, over the last 23 league meets dating back to 1997, Milwaukee has failed to secure a top-two finish just once. That string includes 10 league championships. Both teams have been dominant in their success as four times a Panther team has won a league meet by over 100 points. The program holds league records on both the men's and women's sides for points in an outdoor championship and margin of victory. In 2003, UWM won the women's title with 252 points, 171 ahead of second place. Two years later, it was the men that tallied 231 points, pacing second place by 120. Corfeld has been recognized for his success many time over, garnering League Coach of the Year honors 33 times in his career. He has coached seven league athletes of the year and 54 outstanding performer and newcomer of the year recipients. Tenia Fisher (2003-06) was just the second athlete in league history, in any sport, to be recognized as athlete of the year three times in one sport (indoor track). Corfeld works primarily with the middle distance and distance groups in addition to the cross country squads. UWM had the 10th-fastest 4x800m relay in the country in 2005, with the quartet posting a school-record time of 7:26.17. Corfeld's cross country program has produced 53 all-league performers since the Panthers entered a conference for the 1992 season. He has also coached two individual champions and two newcomer of the year honorees. In the fall, the Milwaukee women took second place at the league championship and had four runners earn all-league honors for the second-straight year. Last season, three of those all-league awards were first-team honors. The second-place finishes are the team's best since joining the Horizon League. In 2007, all-league first-teamer Holly Nearman took 12th at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional for all-region honors. It was the highest finish at a Division I regional by a Panther ever. He was also named league coach of the year, the first time in league history the award went to the second-place team coach. Despite not winning a cross country championship since leaving the Mid-Continent Conference, UWM has continually performed in the upper half of the league standings. After winning a women's crown in 1992 and both the men's and women's championships in 1993, Milwaukee has boasted a pair of men's league individual champions while rarely finishing below fourth. Corfeld, the longest-tenured coach currently at UWM, has built well-respected track and field and cross country teams that consistently compete with other schools across the league, region and country. Under his direction, seven different student-athletes have qualified for the NCAA Championships. In addition to Gretz, Tim Kenney, Cory Peterson and Angie Molter all competed at the NCAA Track and Field Championships, while Chad Zehms was a qualifier in the NCAA Cross Country Championships in 1995. Peterson would later make two more appearances in the NCAA Championships, along with qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 800m run in 1996 and placing third in the 800m at the USATF Indoor Championships. Molter was the first UWM female to compete in the NCAA Division I Championships, running the 10,000m in 1996. Corfeld's athletes have also excelled off the track, as Josh Nygren earned the Horizon League's prestigious Coleman Medal of Honor in 2006. He was the program's third recipient of the honor after Paul McGinley in 2000 and Jonathon Manke in 2002. Corfeld's coaching career began at St. Mary's Academy in 1980. Three years later he became the head track and field coach at Milwaukee Area Technical College. At MATC, he was named Region XIII and conference coach of the year three times. Corfeld graduated from UWM in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in science. He was then named assistant coach for sprints, hurdles and relays at Northern Colorado, where he also worked on a master's degree. In 1989, after completing his degree, he was named the head cross country and track and field coach at UWM. Since taking over the Panther track program, Corfeld has helped to elevate UWM to a regional and national program. Corfeld and his wife, Linda, reside in Whitefish Bay, Wis. |
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