Chad Oletzke is the new University of Illinois Springfield women’s basketball coach following a national search.
He has 15 years of coaching experience. The 37-year-old native of Blaine, Minn., spent the previous three seasons as an assistant at NCAA Division I South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits won the Summit League tournament the past four seasons and qualified for the NCAA tourney each time.
Oletzke replaces Marne Fauser, who produced a 20-59 overall record and 7-47 Great Lakes Valley Conference record over three seasons. Her contract expired last week. Fauser was among the five finalists, according to UIS athletic director Kim Pate.
“Chad brings a championship mentality," said Pate. "He comes from a great program. He has great knowledge of the game. More than anything, he comes in with a positive and fresh outlook. He knows what it takes to build a program.”
Oletzke began his career coaching golf and boys basketball at Wabasso (Minn.) High School. He jumped to the collegiate level and served for four seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, NCAA Division II Southwest Minnesota State University, where he was a point guard in the 1990s. Oletzke moved on to a junior college in Wyoming where he was head coach. He spent five seasons at Northwest College. He was voted coach of the year after Northwest won a Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference championship and a North Sub-Region championship.
Oletzke was featured in an May 22, 2012, article in the State Journal-Register.
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