MILWAUKEE (WLCSports.com) – After three successful seasons as head coach of the Wisconsin Lutheran College men's and women's track & field teams, Eric Kramer has announced he is stepping down as head coach of the Warriors. Kramer will be relocating to Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife, Nicole, who recently accepted the head men's and women's cross country coaching position at Calvin University.
"Eric spearheaded our track & field programs into national recognition in just three short years," said Director of Athletics Skip Noon. "He played a vital role in expanding our field events area at Catalyst Track and continued to increase team roster sizes. It feels like Eric has been around much longer than three years because of the impact he has made on our student-athletes and athletics staff. He will be greatly missed, and we wish him the best of luck as he moves onto the next chapter of his life."
In three seasons as head coach, two of which were shortened due to COVID-19, Kramer coached five athletes who qualified in eight events for the NCAA Championships. The Warriors sent five athletes in four events, their largest contingent ever, to the 2022 NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships. Kramer trained the first All-America honoree in women's program history in Kendra Schumacher, who also brought home seven of eight total All-Region awards during his coaching tenure at WLC. Thirteen individual conference champions were crowned and 28 school records were set during Kramer's three-year head coaching stint. The men's and women's teams both tied for their second-best finish in program history at the 2021 NACC Outdoor Championships.
"I have so many people to thank for my time at WLC," said Kramer. "It truly is a special place where President Johnson, AD Skip Noon, and SID Adam Heinzen will all attend meets and help wherever they can. The department is also great in that other teams and coaches will step up to help practices and meets run as smoothly as possible. I also have to thank all of my assistants who made my job a lot easier by sacrificing their time and energy to bring this program to another level. Most importantly, all of the successes of the track & field teams are because of the large number of high integrity student-athletes who put in all the hard work. I will always hold WLC in my heart as a special place because of the people and their understanding of WLC's mission: to create strong Christian servant leaders. Leaving WLC has been the hardest decision in my career. Just like a relay, I gave everything I had to try to put the team in a better position than when I arrived so that the next coach can take the baton knowing they are in a better position."
Not only were Kramer's teams successful on the track and in the field, but also in the classroom. Both the men's and women's programs were recognized as All-Academic Teams by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) each of his three seasons, maintaining a minimum 3.1 team grade point average. In addition, Sam Rodmyre and Kendra Schumacher were named multi-time All-Academic athletes by the USTFCCCA.
A search to fill the coaching vacancy is underway.
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