University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Track & Field Camps
Coaching Staff
Head Coach
Josh Buchholtz
Josh Buchholtz begins his fourth season as the UW-La Crosse head men’s track & field coach in 2012.
He also serves as the facility director for Mitchell and Wittich Hall.
UW-L placed third at the 2011 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Indoor Championships and second at the outdoor meet under Buchholtz' leadership. The Eagles were third at the 2010 NCAA Division III Indoor and Outdoor Championships.
The Eagles have swept the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) indoor and outdoor championships in each of Buchholtz' first three seasons. He was named the 2009 and 2011 WIAC Indoor and Outdoor Men's Track & Field Coach of the Year and the 2010 outdoor honoree.
He led the Eagles to their 15th NCAA Division III indoor championship in 2009 as they tied for first with UW-Oshkosh. The 15 national crowns are the most in NCAA Division III history. Buchholtz also led the Eagles to a fifth-place finish at the 2009 NCAA III Outdoor Championships.
A total of 69 individual All-America honors have been earned under Buchholtz.
UW-L also had seven student-athletes named to the 2009 United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team.
Buchholtz served as men’s track & field head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Stout from 2002-08. He added the women’s track & field head coaching position in 2007. Buchholtz, who also served as a physical education instructor at UW-Stout, was the Blue Devils’ men’s cross country head coach from 2002-07.
A 2000 graduate from UW-L, Buchholtz was the Eagles’ women’s track & field assistant coach from 2000-02. He has worked as a member of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) State Track & Field Meet Administration staff, taking over as the on-site coordinator in 2011.
He served as a meet director of four high school meets annually while at UW-Stout, including the 52-team Northern Badger Track and Field Classic. Buchholtz was Co-Meet Director of the 2003 WIAC Cross Country Championships and 2004 WIAC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
He was the equipment manager of the physical education department at UW-Stout and handled the Blue Devils’ track & field/cross country laundry and equipment.
Buchholtz is a member of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
Philip Whitesitt
Associate Head Coach
Phil Whitesitt begins his fifth year as a member of the Eagles’ coaching staff in 2012. His responsibilities include coaching the throwing events, writing strength and conditioning programs, and assisting with administrative duties.
He is credited with coaching Bobby Riley to two of his three NCAA Division III Indoor national championships in the shot put. Whitesitt has also coached three individuals to five national indoor All-America honors in his first two years on staff.
The Eagles' Andy Novak (third-place) and Bill Warren (eighth) each earned All-America honors in the shot put at the 2010 NCAA III Outdoor Championships under Whitesitt.
Novak was second in the shot put at the 2011 NCAA III Outdoor Championships.
Whitesitt was a member of the UW-L track and field team from 2001-2004 when the team won eight straight national championships. He was a four-time NCAA III All-American in the 35-pound weight throw and hammer.
Along with his coaching responsibilities, Whitesitt teaches physical education courses at UW-L and is the assistant coordinator of sports performance for the Eagles' athletic department.
He earned his undergraduate degree in physical education from UW-L in 2005 and his master's degree in human performance with an emphasis in strength and conditioning in 2008.
Whitesitt is a certified strength and conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).
