Upcoming Events and Recent Results

Western Illinois University Athletics

Men's Track and Field Tuesday, January 23, 2018 Diane Wholey has been named the head track and field coach at Western Illinois.

Wholey Brings International Expertise to WIU

MACOMB, Ill. – Diane Wholey has coached at track and field championships around the globe in North America, Europe and Asia, and she will bring her expertise to Western Illinois University as its newest head coach, the department announced Tuesday (Jan. 23).

"I'm very excited to be a member of the Western Illinois Athletic Department family and be a part of the University," said Wholey. "I'll be working with a very knowledgeable staff, and a young team that has a bright future ahead.

"I had a chance to meet with several members of the team, and they seem very energetic and positive. I'm eager to put my stamp [on this program] and help everyone achieve their goals to be better athletically and academically."

Wholey's 30-plus year resume is decorated with national and conference titles at the collegiate level. She has also assisted Team USA, holding several coaching and managerial positions with USA Track & Field.

"Diane has a wealth of experience in recruiting, training and coaching track and field at the intercollegiate and international levels," said Western Illinois Director of Athletics Matt Tanney. "She has worked on the biggest stages in the sport, and her experience with elite-level athletes is a great benefit to our Leatherneck student-athletes aspiring to compete for national championships. I am confident she will create an educational and athletic environment conducive to the success of our student-athletes on and off the track."

As an assistant coach at the University of Texas, Wholey coached the Longhorns to NCAA indoor and outdoor championships in 1998 and 1999. She helped the program to four Big 12 titles during the stretch, and added one more to her credit at Texas Tech University, where she served as the associate head coach for 10 seasons (1999-2008).

Wholey transitioned to the role of an assistant athletic director in 2008, but continued to use her expertise as a member of the USA Track & Field staff.

She was most recently named the head women's coach for the 2017 IAAF World Outdoor Championships in London, England, and has guided the nation's U-23s to the 2014 NACAC Championship in Kamloops, Canada.

Wholey was called upon twice in 2004 to coach the women's team in the IAAF World Indoor Championship in Budapest, Hungary, and the USA vs. Germany vs. France Team Challenge in Munich, Germany. She was the head women's manager at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Her collegiate career began as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Tennessee, where she helped lead the Volunteers to three top-10 national finishes in both indoor and outdoor track, as well as a pair of top-15 national finishes in cross country and an SEC cross country championship in 1990.

Wholey earned her master's degree in physical education from Tennessee before accepting a full-time position as an assistant track and field coach at the University of Mississippi.

She completed her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University with a bachelor's degree in physical education.

Print Friendly Version