The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has named five finalists to be interviewed for the head women’s basketball coach position, according to the search and screen committee. The five finalists are Karen Middleton, former associate head women’s basketball coach at Cal State Fullerton University; Donald Mulhern, head women’s basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Superior; Abby Oakland, assistant women’s basketball coach at Southwest Minnesota State University; Doug Porter, assistant women’s basketball coach at North Central College (Ill.) and Riley Woldt, assistant women’s basketball coach at St. Norbert College (Wis.).
Middleton served as the associate head coach at Cal State Fullerton University in 2015-16, overseeing the day-to-day aspects of the women’s basketball program for the Titans. Prior to working at Cal State Fullerton, she was the head women’s basketball coach at Western Carolina University from 2009-15. Middleton led the Catamounts to a semifinal appearance in the Southern Conference Tournament in 2014.
Middleton served as an assistant coach at the University of Illinois (2007-09), Stanford University (1997-2007), Eastern Washington University (1994-97) and University of South Carolina (1992-94).
The 1991 graduate of the University of South Carolina started her coaching career at her alma mater as a volunteer assistant (1991-92). She played for the Gamecocks for four years, scoring over 1,700 career points and setting a single-season school record with 115 three-point field goals made. Middleton was a team captain and most valuable player and earned All-Metro Conference honors. She earned an Interdisciplinary Masters of Arts from South Carolina in 1993.
Middleton will be on campus Tuesday-Wednesday, June 7-8. An open forum will be held Wednesday, June 8 at 1:45 p.m. in Mitchell Hall 119.
Mulhern has served as head women’s basketball coach at the UW-Superior since 2006, leading the Yellowjackets to an undefeated (16-0) record in their first season in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in 2015-16. UW-Superior captured the UMAC Tournament title and earned its first-ever appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championship. Named the 2015-16 UMAC Coach of the Year, Mulhern led the Yellowjackets to a school record 24 victories. UW-Superior won its first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title in 2014-15 and finished runner-up at the league tournament. Mulhern was named the WIAC Coach of the Year in 2012-13 and 2014-15. He led the Yellowjackets to the WIAC Tournament in 2011-12 for the first time since 2003-04.
Along with coaching at UW-Superior, Mulhern serves as a lecturer in the Health and Human Performance Department. Prior to arriving at UW-Superior, he was associate women’s basketball head coach at Rockford College, Ill. (2005-06), head men’s basketball coach at Lindenwood University, Mo. (2002-05), head women’s basketball coach at MacMurray College, Ill. (1992-2001) and head women’s basketball coach at Upper Iowa University (1989-92).
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Winona State University (Minn.) in 1987, his master’s degree from UW-La Crosse in 1988 and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 2000.
Mulhern will be on campus Wednesday-Thursday, June 1-2. An open forum will be held Thursday, June 2 at 2 p.m. in Mitchell Hall 109.
Oakland has served as an assistant coach at Southwest Minnesota State since 2013. She arrived at SMSU after working as an assistant women’s basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at Bemidji State University, Minn. (2012-13). Prior to coaching at Bemidji State (Minn.), Oakland spent one season (2011-12) as the assistant women’s basketball coach and head women’s basketball junior varsity head coach at Central College (Iowa). She spent two seasons (2009-11) as a women’s basketball graduate assistant coach at Northern State University (S.D.).
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Southwest Minnesota State in 2009 and her master’s degree from Northern State (S.D.) in 2011. Oakland was a four-year letter winner in basketball and golf at Southwest Minnesota State. She served as team captain of the basketball team and was a two-time Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) All-Academic Team member and two-time Southwest Minnesota State Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
On the golf course, Oakland earned three All-NSIC honors and was a two-time All-America Scholar Team selection. She was a member of the SMSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee from 2005-09.
Oakland will be on campus Wednesday-Thursday, June 8-9. An open forum will be held Thursday, June 9 at 2 p.m. in Mitchell Hall 119.
Porter has served as an assistant women’s basketball coach and recruiting coordinator at North Central (Ill.) since 2012. The Cardinals led NCAA Division III in scoring in 2012-13, 2014-15 and 2015-16. North Central (Ill.) finished second in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) regular season and conference tournament in 2014-15, the best finishes in program history. The Cardinals went 22-6 in 2014-15 and qualified for the NCAA III Tournament for the first time since 1983-84.
Prior to arriving at North Central (Ill.), Porter served as head women’s basketball coach and assistant professor of exercise science at Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) from 1998-2012. The Tigers won five Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) Championships while finishing 122-49 in conference play. Named the CCAC Coach of the Year five times, Porter had 33 all-conference selections, including four most valuable players. He was head women’s basketball coach and instructor of physical education at Aurora University (Ill.) from 1994-96, leading the Spartans to a NCAA III Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1994-95. Porter was named the Northern Illinois and Iowa Conference (NIIC) Coach of the Year in both seasons at Aurora (Ill.) as the Spartans captured the league title. He was an assistant women’s basketball coach and instructor of physical education at West Texas A&M University (1991-94) and assistant women’s basketball coach and assistant sports information director at Wheaton College, Ill. (1986-89).
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Wheaton (Ill.) in 1977 and master’s degree from the University of North Texas in 1984.
Porter will be on campus Monday-Tuesday, June 6-7. An open forum will be held Tuesday, June 7 at 2 p.m. in Mitchell Hall 119.
Woldt has been an assistant women’s basketball coach at St. Norbert (Wis.) since 2007, helping lead the Green Knights to seven Midwest Conference (MWC) titles and six appearances in the NCAA III Championship. St. Norbert (Wis.) is 186-45 overall and 141-15 in the conference since 2007 while going 111-13 at home.
Prior to coaching at St. Norbert (Wis.), Woldt was the assistant women’s basketball coach at Lawrence University (Wis.) from 2005-07. The Vikings went 32-16 in Woldt’s two seasons, earning MWC Tournament berths both years. He served as head girls’ basketball coach at Green Bay (Wis.) Southwest High School from 2000-05. Woldt was the AAU Program Founder and Director and Head Girls’ Basketball Coach for the Green Bay (Wis.) Area Basketball Club and Wisconsin Viking Club from 1999-2003.
He earned bachelor’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 1997, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 2002 and 2007 and master’s degree from Marian University (Wis.) in 2011. Woldt has taught physical education and health at Lombardi Middle School in Green Bay since 2012. He served as a special education teacher at Green Bay Southwest High School from 2002-12.
Woldt will be on campus Sunday-Monday, June 5-6. An open forum will be held Monday, June 6 at 1:45 p.m. in Mitchell Hall 119.
Tagged with: DIII WIAC Wisconsin - La Crosse
