Head Coach Kelly Witte

Kelly Witte joined Ripon College in 1996, and the Red Hawk softball program has never been the same. She has used her winning experience to help Ripon solidify its spot as a premiere softball program in the Midwest Conference and nationally at the Division III level.

Witte started turning the softball program around immediately and has taught the Red Hawks how to succeed. She has compiled a 171-140 record in ten seasons at Ripon, while achieving a 281-205 career mark in 15 years of coaching.

One of the top coaches in the area, Witte has been honored as the Midwest Conference Coach of the Year three times. She earned the prestigious recognition in 2006, after leading Ripon to a first place finish in the MWC North Division with a 9-4 conference mark. Prior to that, Witte earned the honor in 2004, after guiding the Red Hawks to a school-record 26 wins, and in 2000 when Ripon won 23 games.

Success has been a tradition for Witte. The head softball coach at Edgewood College prior to her arrival in Ripon, Witte was a two-time Lake Michigan Conference Coach of the Year selection while leading her squad to two softball conference titles and one NAIA National Tournament.

A 1990 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Witte had a successful career in volleyball and softball. She was named to the Wisconsin Women’s Intercollegiate Conference (WWIAC) All-Conference Teams for both sports and named to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-District Team for volleyball. She helped UW-Oshkosh to four post-season berths in softball and a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Division III Tournament. Witte also was an NAIA Scholar-Athlete on the WWIAC Honor Roll and twice was named to the Scholastic All-American Team.

Witte, who also serves as an associate professor in the Department of Exercise Science at Ripon, graduated with her master’s degree in physical education from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse in 1992. She also holds a doctorate degree in Leadership Studies from Cardinal Stritch University, which she received in May 2005.