Mike De Witt got the University of Illinois Springfield’s cross country and track and field programs off the ground a few years ago.
And now he is retiring.
The 67-year-old De Witt has coached for 44 years. He was a high school coach before moving to the college level in 1979.
It was De Witt who designed the cross country course on located on the northeast corner of UIS campus.
“I was just looking at the prospectus that I put together when I got here,” he said. “One of the main objectives was to get a good established cross country course.”
De Witt is working toward getting the final phase of the course completed before his last day as coach on June 30.
He coached 42 athletes this past season.
“Another objective was to establish a really good base of kids,” De Witt said.
A national coaching search to hire De Witt’s replacement is underway. A new coach could be hired by the end of June, according to UIS athletic director Jim Sarra.
This article appeared in The State Journal-Register on May 31, 2018.
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