Three coaches in the Wisconsin athletics program will be spending at least the next three seasons in Madison at the helm of their respective teams.
The UW Athletic Board met Friday afternoon and approved extensions on the contracts of volleyball head coach Kelly Sheffield, women’s soccer head coach Paula Wilkins and men’s soccer head coach John Trask. Wilkins and Trask had their contracts extended through Jan. 31 of 2018 while Sheffield earned an extension through Jan. 31 of 2019.
Sheffield is in his second season as head coach of the UW volleyball team. In just two seasons he has left a lasting impression on the program, taking the team on a surprising run to the national championship game in 2013 before advancing to the Elite Eight this season. Sheffield has complied a 59-13 overall record at Wisconsin and a 31-9 record in Big Ten play in his two seasons. This season, UW won their first outright Big Ten championship since 2001 while peaking at No. 2 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association rankings. Sheffield was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in December for his efforts this season.
Wilkins completed her eighth season as head coach of the Wisconsin women’s soccer team this fall. In 2014 the Badgers went 19-3-2 and won the Big Ten tournament in a thrilling 1-0 double overtime win over Iowa on Nov. 9. It was their first conference tournament championship since 2005. UW won their NCAA tournament first round game against DePaul in Madison before falling to Central Florida in the second round. In her eight seasons at Wisconsin, Wilkins has guided the Badgers to four NCAA tournament births and has a 68-52-19 overall record.
In just four seasons as head coach of the Wisconsin men’s soccer team, Trask has brought the program back to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 18 years and guided the team to its first postseason win since 1995 when UW knocked off UW-Milwaukee in an NCAA tournament first round game in Madison in 2013. While the Badgers struggled this season, earning a 3-12-3 overall record, the team was filled with talented and promising freshman. Freshmen Tom Barlow, Mike Catalano and Mark Segbers, who were brought to Wisconsin by Trask, were named to the all-Big Ten Freshman team this season. At Wisconsin, Trask has a 34-34-12 overall record.
