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Mens Track - Coaching Staff
Head Coach Josh Buchholtz
Office Number: (608) 785-8622; E-Mail: buchholt.josh@uwlax.edu
Josh Buchholtz begins his second season as the UW-La Crosse head men’s track &
field coach in 2009-10. 
He led the Eagles to their 15th National Collegiate Athletic Association (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. UW-L earned 11 individuall All-America honors at the indoor national championships.
Buchholtz also led the Eagles to a fifth-place finish at the 2009 NCAA III Outdoor Championships where five All-America awards were earned. UW-L also had seven student-athletes named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic Team.
He was selected the 2009 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Indoor and Outdoor Men's Track Coach of the Year in 2009 as UW-L won its 19th consecutive indoor and eighth straight outdoor crown.
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. The Blue Devils have had 31 NCAA Division III qualifiers on the men’s team under Buchholtz and 24 on the women’s squad. 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-La Crosse, 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 and served as a meet director of four high school meets annually, 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) and was elected the 2008-09 WIAC Track & Field Sports Chair.
Philip Whitesitt - Associate Head Coach – Throws
Philip Whitesitt enters his third year as a member of the Eagles’ coaching staff in 2009-10. His responsibilities include coaching the throwing events and assisting with administrative duties. Whitesitt was a member of the UW-L track and field program during the 2001-2004 seasons when the team won eight straight national championships. He was a four-time NCAA III All-American in the 35-pound weight throw and the hammer.
Whitesitt coached the throwing events at La Crescent High School from 2005-2007. He completed his undergraduate work in 2005 from UW-L in physical education and is currently completing his master’s program in human performance at UW-L.
Phil Esten – Volunteer Assistant Coach
Phil Esten is in his fifth year as a volunteer assistant coach in 2009-10. He served as head coach of the UW-L men’s cross country program for 28 years, retiring after the 1998 season. Esten guided the Eagles to a national championship competition in 27 of those seasons. He led UW-L to a NCAA III title in 1996 and posted 26 consecutive top-10 finishes at nationals. In addition to the national title, UW-L finished as the national runner-up eight times under Esten. UW-L won 20 WIAC titles during his tenure and never finished lower than third in the league. Esten coached 28 runners to 46 All-American honors. A 1965 graduate of UW-L, Esten was inducted into the UW-L and NAIA District Hall of Fames in 1990, and the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches’ Association Hall in 1993.
He was named the 1996 Division III Co-Coach of the Year. He earned his master’s degree and Ed.D. from the University of Northern Colorado.
Doug Geiwitz – Assistant Coach
Doug Geiwitz is in his 13th year as a member of the Eagles’ coaching staff in 2009-10. He coaches the pole vault. Geiwitz is credited with coaching three National Champions which include; Matt Novak, Nick Pergande, and Hans Schmidt who was a five-time national pole vault champion (three outdoor; two indoor) and a six-time NCAA III All-American. Geiwitz has coached 21 other All-Americans at UW-L. Geiwitz, a 1991 graduate of UW-L, was a two-time All-American in the pole vault for the Eagles. He was the 1990 outdoor national champion and was third at the 1990 indoor meet.
He is in his seventh year of teaching at Sparta High Point School. Prior to teaching at High Point, Geiwitz taught for five years at Beloit Memorial High School and Sparta High School.
