SIUE entered intercollegiate athletic competition during the 1967–68 school year. At that time, college athletics was almost exclusively the realm of the male student athlete, but times were on the verge of change. On October 4, 1972, SIUE's first women's team took the field, as women's athletic director and coach Rosemarie Archangel's field hockey team played and won its first game. Field hockey has since been discontinued, and other sports have come and gone.[5] Until 2007, when the university began the transition to Division I,[6] SIUE had competed in Division II, except in men's soccer, which competed in Division I from 1973 through 1995. From 1994 to 2008, the Cougars were members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) after having previously been an independent.[7] As part of the move to Division I, the Cougars joined the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in 2008.[8] The 2011–12 season was the Cougars' first campaigns for the OVC regular season titles, although they were not eligible for post-season play until 2012–13 except in softball and men's soccer, which were "fast-tracked" by the NCAA.
A member of the Ohio Valley Conference, SIU Edwardsville sponsors teams in eight men's and eight women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[9] SIUE is an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in men's soccer and wrestling.[10][11]
Baseball
Roy Lee initiated the baseball program in 1967–68 and headed it for its first eleven years. In that time, he garnered a record of 237–144–3,[12] leading his teams to 8 consecutive NCAA Division II playoffs and 3 Division II College World Series, with a runner-up finish in 1976.[13]
After Coach Lee's retirement, the program was led by SIUE alumnus Gary Collins. In his 34 years as the Cougars' coach, Collins won 1028 games (with 766 loses & 7 ties).[12] While still in Division II, his teams made 14 NCAA appearances and went to the Division II College World Series 5 times.[13] He led them into Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference, where the Cougars completed their first season in the OVC with an overall record of 27–28 and a conference record of 13–14, which tied for fifth place in the ten team league.[14]
On July 11, 2012, it was announced that Gary Collins would be making the transition from coach to the University's first Director of Development for Intercollegiate Athletics.[15] The following day, it was announced that, after thirteen seasons as Collins' assistant, SIUE alumnus Tony Stoecklin was named acting head coach with the opportunity to earn the permanent job,[16] and he then continued as the head coach.[17]
In mid-April 2016, Tony Stoecklin was reassigned to other duties, and Danny Jackson was named interim head coach. At the end of the season, a national search was launched to find a new head coach.[18] On June 16, two finalists for the job were announced: Missouri State assistant coach Paul Evans and Bradley associate head coach Sean Lyons.[19]
Basketball
Men's
The Cougar men's basketball program was begun as a Division II program in 1967 by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Harry Gallatin[20] who had no scholarships, inadequate facilities, and almost no money to work with. The program has since seen mixed success under 7 coaches, with the most successful having been Larry Graham (147–84 with 3 NCAA DII appearances in 8 seasons from 1984 to 1992) and Marty Simmons (88–59, 2 DII NCAAs in 5 seasons from 2002 to 2007).[21]
Coach Lennox Forrester was in charge during SIUE's move from Division II to Division I and competing in the Ohio Valley Conference.[22]
On May 4, 2012, it was announced that, following steady improvement, Coach Forrester's contract had been extended for three more years.[23] On March 10, 2015,it was announced that, due to lack of success, Coach Forrester and his entire staff would not be retained.[24]
Following a national search, it was announced on April 3, 2015, that Edwardsville native and California assistant Jon Harris was named the new head coach.[25]
In March 2019 Brian Barone was named interim head coach. Brian Barone was later named Head Coach of the SIUE Cougars.
Women's
The Cougars' women's program first took to the court in 1974 under Ina Anderson. For 29 of its first 34 seasons, it was guided by Wendy Hedberg who amassed a record of 470–361 and led her teams into the NCAA Division II tournament 5 times.[26]
Coach Amanda Levens was in charge during SIUE's move from Division II to Division I and competing in the Ohio Valley Conference.[27]
Picked by the OVC coaches to finish eighth of the eleven teams, the women's Cougars finished the 2011–12 season 12–4 in the conference and in third place. This and their 18–11 regular season record earned them an invitation to the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) tournament[28] and earned OVC Women's Coach of the Year honors for Levens.[29] On April 20, 2012, it was announced that Levens had resigned to accept the position of associate head coach at Arizona State University, her alma mater.[30]
On June 13, 2012, it was announced that Bradley University head coach Paula Buscher had been named the new SIUE women's head coach.[31]
Cross country and track and field
SIUE's men's cross country team initiated competition in the Fall of 1968, winning its first dual meet.[32] The men's outdoor track and field team began a year later, coached by Jack Whitted and lost its first meet.[32] And so did the programs muddle through for many years, with highs, lows, and a number of shining successes along the way.
When SIUE began to emphasize excellence in its athletic programs as much as in academics, the track and field program came of age. Between 2004 and 2008, when the move to Division I began, SIUE became an NCAA Division II powerhouse. In that short span, 16 men won 36 All-American awards,[33] yet they were overshadowed by the Cougar women, with 15 winning 70 All-American certificates and capturing 6 individual National Championships.[34]
Current coach Scott Block and former coaches Eileen McAllister and Kareem Jackson have not yet seen that level of success in Division I, but their athletes have toppled school records with regularity.[35][36][37][38]
On September 17, 2013, it was announced that Jackson had followed his predecessor, David Astrauskas, to also become an assistant coach at Wisconsin, and that McAllister would be the interim head track and field coach, as well as the head cross country coach.[39] At the end of the 2015 school year, with "interim" no longer on the Cougar's webpage,[40] McAllister stepped down to focus on her family. SIUE alumnus and assistant coach Scott Block, a four-time All-American as a Cougar, was named as interim head coach with the "interim" quickly dropped for track and field but remaining for cross country.[41]
In the 2013 outdoor season, long jumper La'Derrick Ward became the first Cougar athlete to qualify for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.[42] In the 2014 indoor season, both and triple jumper Jatavia Wright qualified for the NCAA championships, giving the Cougars representation in both the men's and women's competitions. On March 14, Ward finished 6th in the men's long jump and became SIUE's first Division I Track and Field All-American.[43] The following day, Wright finished 11th in the women's triple jump and earned a spot on the All American second team.[44][45]
For the 2014 outdoor season, Ward, Wright, and sprinter Braxton Klavins qualified for the NCAA championships, again giving the Cougars representation in both the men's and women's competitions. On June 11, Klavins finished 16th in the 400 meters, earning 2nd team All-American status.[46] On the 12th, Ward placed 4th in the long jump, earning his second 1st team All-American certificate.[47] On the 13th, Wright moved up from the 24th qualifier to 18th in the women's triple jump, just missing a repeat as 2nd team All-American but earning honorable mention on the All-America lists.[48] All three were juniors and were eligible again in 2015.[49] In 2015, Ward earned his 3rd consecutive outdoor All-American certificate with his sixth-place finish in the long jump.[50]
In 2016. Julian Harvey was a second=team All-American with his 11th-place finish at the outdoor championships.[51] Harvey broke two long-time conference records at the 2017 OVC Indoor Championships in winning both the long jump and high jump, with his long jump being #1 longest in the world for the year.[52] At the NCAA Indoor championships, Harvey earned 1st Team All-American honors with his fifth-place finish in the long jump and 2nd Team honors with his 12th place high jump.[53]
Golf
Bill Brick started the men's golf program in the spring of 1968. Although he had quick success, he soon left to further his own education.[54] He was replaced by SIUE's first athletic director and basketball coach, Harry Gallatin, who remained at the program's helm for 24 years,[20] leading his teams to the NCAA DII championships 19 times – including 6 top 10 finishes.[55] Fourteen of his golfers earned 22 All-American awards or honorable mentions. Soon after Gallatin's retirement, the university decided to discontinue the program.
In 2005–06, the program was resurrected, with funding raised by friends and alumni, following the example of the support for the wrestling program (see below).[56] SIUE alumni Mark Marcuzzo and Kyle Viehl, who had both played for Gallatin, were appointed head coach and associate.[57] Marcuzzo left after that first season, replaced by Vielh who led the program into DI competition. When Viehl departed in 2010, he was replaced by current coach Derrick Brown.[58]
Larry Bennett began the women's program in 1998–99. The team qualified to compete in the NCAA Division II East Regional five times, 2002–06.[59] Jennifer Jakel was its 3rd coach from '06–07, leading the program into Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference, until leaving in July 2013.[60]
On June 24, 2013, ground was broken for a new golf training facility. It is named the Harry Gallatin Golf Training Facility.[61]
On July 29, 2013, men's coach Derrick Brown was named Director of Golf, making him the head coach of both the men's and the women's programs.[62]
On February 28, 2016, Brad Hewitt, SIUE director of athletics announced that, as a result of the ongoing state of Illinois budget crisis, the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee needed to reduce the Department of Athletics budget by $200,000. To accomplish this, the man's tennis and women's golf teams would be eliminated.[63]
Soccer
Men's
National Soccer Hall of Fame coach Bob Guelker came to SIUE in 1966 to start the men's soccer program. He had previously also begun the program at St. Louis University, where his teams won 5 NCAA titles, including the very first in 1959.[64] As coach of the Cougars, he led them for 19 seasons, compiling a record of 216–67–21 and winning the very first Division II title in 1972 and the Division I championship in 1979 in their 14 NCAA tournament appearances.[65]
Coach Guelker was succeeded by Ed Huneke, who remained for 22 seasons, building a record of 251–155–34 with 7 NCAA tourney appearances.
In the mid-1990s SIUE had reluctantly moved from Division I to Division II, yet the move heralded a return to the NCAAs, including 3 Semifinals and a Division II runner-up finish.[66] From 2007 through 2013, the program was headed by Kevin Kalish, who led it back into Division I, including competition in the Missouri Valley Conference.[67]
On December 6, 2013, Scott Donnelly, Associate Head Coach since 2012, was named as the Cougars' fourth head coach. After leading the Cougars to an undefeated spring exhibition season, it was announced less than three weeks before the start of the 2014 regular season that Donnelly had been recruited away to a position with the U.S. Soccer Federation. He was replaced by seventh year goalkeepers coach Brian Jones and first year assistant coach David Korn, who were named co-head coaches.[68] After a rough start to the season, the Cougars finished the MVC regular season as the runnerup to Missouri State. They then beat Bradley and Missouri State in the MVC Tournament, for the school's first MVC title and a spot in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship for the first time since 1982[69] and advanced to the second round.[70]
Through 50 seasons, the men's teams have a record of 546–286–82.[71]
Following a nationwide search by a committee that had former head coaches Kevin Kalish and David Korn as consultants, on January 27, 2015 Mario Sanchez, the associate head coach of the Louisville Cardinals was introduced as the Cougars fifth head coach.[72]
It was announced on June 2, 2017, that the Cougars' men's soccer and wrestling teams would become an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference beginning in the 2018 season.[10]{ On June 8, it was announced that the soccer team would make the move for the 2017 season.[11]
Women's
Begun in 1982, the women's program has been a consistent winner under 7 head coaches (or coaching combos), who have garnered a record of 331–209–50, with 5 appearances in the Division II NCAA playoffs and one in Division I.[73][74] The program is currently headed by Derek Burton, who has taken it into Division I in the Ohio Valley Conference.[75]
The 2014 women's squad tied for the OVC regular season title, earning the #2 seed in the conference tournament.[76] After trailing 5th seed Jacksonville State 2–0 in the championship game, the Cougars scored two late goals to tie, then won in extra time to advance to SIUE's first NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship.[77] At Lexington, the Cougars played Kentucky to a scoreless draw despite being heavily overmatched, but fell in a shootout 4–2 and ended the season with a record of 13–6–2.[78]
Softball
The SIUE softball program, has seen only 2 head coaches in its history. Cindy Jones (376–201, 1975–88) and Sandy Montgomery (957–480–2 since 1989) have combined for a record of 1333–681–2 record through 2015, with 13 NCAA Division II appearances and one in Division I.
In 2007, SIUE won their last sixteen consecutive games of the season en route to the NCAA Division II softball championship, where they defeated Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania 3–2 in 12 innings (the longest championship game in history).[79]
The 2011 Cougars completed their first full season of Ohio Valley Conference play with an overall record of 28–30 and an OVC record of 19–11, which took seventh place in the eleven team league, qualifying the Cougars for their first OVC Tournament.[80]
The 2014 Cougars became the first SIUE team to win an OVC championship, beating the Murray State Racers 12–1 in six innings at Jacksonville, Alabama on May 10, also qualifying for the 2014 NCAA Division I softball tournament.[81]
Tennis
Unlike some of the other coaches who started up Cougar sports programs, Kent DeMars at least had scholarships to offer when he began the men's tennis program in 1973–74. With these, he was able to put Cougar tennis on the map in short order, finishing 2nd in NCAA Division II in the team's first year of eligibility. This was followed by seven (7) consecutive DII National Championships.
Bob Meyers inaugurated the women's program in 1979–80 and found almost as much rapid success as DeMars, winning the first of four (4) consecutive NCAA DII Championships in 1986.
In 1986, Meyers also became head coach of the men's team, following DeMars' departure, and both teams have since mostly shared one coaching staff. Since coach Meyer's departure following the '89 women's title, the programs have seen mixed success and have not approached the success of the championship years.
Jason Coomer, the 8th coach for both the men's and women's teams has overseen the move to Division I and the Ohio Valley Conference and became men's coach only when Pratzel was promoted.[82]
On May 6, 2014, after four years as assistant coach, Amanda Pratzel was promoted to head coach of the women's team, with Coomer retaining leadership of the men's team.[83] In the season which had just ended, both teams qualified as the fourth seed for its first OVC tournament.[84] In August 2015, Praetzel became the latest SIUE coach to be hired away by her sport's governing body, when she accepted the position as the United States Tennis Association's Missouri Valley Youth Pathway Manager the USTA's Kansas City office.[85] Nick Mueller, the women's head coach at the University of Evansville was announced as the new SIUE women's coach on August 25, 2015.[86]
On February 28, 2016, Brad Hewitt, SIUE director of athletics announced that, as a result of the ongoing state of Illinois budget crisis, the Intercollegiate Athletics Committee needed to reduce the Department of Athletics budget by $200,000. To accomplish this the men's tennis and women's golf teams would be eliminated.[63]
Volleyball
Sandy Montgomery began the volleyball program in 1995 and coached for its first four years, guiding it to a record of 83–54 and its first appearance in the NCAA Division II tournament in 1998. Todd Gober led the program for a decade, with a record of 205–112 and 3 NCAA appearances in 2005–07 before beginning the transition to Division I. Leah Johnson became SIUE's 4th volleyball coach in 2011 as it began competition in the Ohio Valley Conference.[87]
Wrestling
Larry Kristoff started the SIUE wrestling program in 1969 with resources similar to those available to soccer coach Bob Guelker, basketball coach Harry Gallatin, and baseball coach Roy Lee – next to none. He quickly developed one of the dominant Division II programs. In 30 seasons, his teams were consistently top competitors and won back-to-back-to-back NCAA Division II championships in 1984–86 and were runners-up in 1975 and 1987. Kristoff's program was initially unaffected when the university de-emphasized athletics in the mid-1980s, but went into decline after its championship years when the recruiting budget was repeatedly decreased despite the program's success.
Following the 2002–03 season, the SIUE administration decided to eliminate the wrestling program. A number of staunch supporters and alumni formed the Friends of Wrestling that has since raised monies from sources outside the university to maintain the program.[88]
David Ray, the 4th coach since Kristoff's retirement was in charge as the program made the move to Division I and competition in the Southern Conference (the OVC does not sponsor wrestling) until it was announced on April 12, 2013, that he had tendered his resignation to accept a position in the university's administration.
On July 19, 2013, after a nationwide search, Cornell assistant coach Jeremy Spates, who had mentored Kyle Dake, Cornell's four-time national champion and the NCAA's 2013 Most Outstanding Wrestler, was named the new Cougar coach.[89] At the conclusion of Spates' first season, senior David Devine won the Southern Conference heavyweight championship, becoming the first Cougar wrestler to advance to the NCAA National Championships since SIUE's move to Division I.[90] In 2015, two Cougar wrestlers won SoCon titles, advancing to Nationals. Jake Tindle earned SIUE's first championship point as a Division I program after a win in the NCAA Tournament.[91]
In 2017, Freddie Rodriguez (125), Jake Residori (174), and Jake Tindle (197) won SoCon championships and qualified for the NCAA National Championships in St. Louis, Rodriquez advanced to the quarterfinals before falling, and Residori placed 8th, becoming the first Cougar to earn Division I All-American status since 1987 and the first since SIUE moved to Division I in the 2012–13 season.[92][93] SIUE finished 29th of the 69 schools in the championships.[94]
It was announced on June 2, 2017, that the Cougars' men's soccer and wrestling teams would become an affiliate member of the Mid-American Conference beginning in the 2018 season.[10]
Early shoestring budgets
As indicated in some of the prior sections. intercollegiate athletics at SIUE mostly began with very little in the way of funding. Although the programs competed in Division II from their beginnings, it was not until 1973, the year after the school had won its first NCAA championship, that the SIU Board of Trustees authorized the granting of 114 athletic scholarships and an additional 28 tuition waivers. Up until that time, the athletic department had only been able to offer about 50 student activity grants, while the Salukis at SIU Carbondale had 220 full NCAA scholarships.[95]
Success and scandal
During the 1970s and early '80s the SIUE Cougars were extremely successful in several sports, winning multiple NCAA championships in men's soccer, wrestling, and both men's and women's tennis. In 1983, it was discovered that two men's tennis players who were both All-Americans and NCAA champions were "majoring in tennis" and neglecting to attend classes.[96] It further came to light that the men's basketball coach had violated a number of the NCAA's restrictions on recruiting. While the tennis program was able to defend its string of NCAA Division II championships by winning their seventh title in a row in 1984, the university took the almost unprecedented action of suspending the men's basketball program for the 1983–84 season. Additionally, the athletic director was assigned to other duties within the university, with other actions against him held in abeyance, as he was a tenured faculty member. After these events, the university severely reduced funding to all athletics, and the overall program went into a period of decline.
