DWU names Ross Cimpl as new athletic director, promotes Alex Kretzschmar to head football coach

Feb. 13—MITCHELL — Dakota Wesleyan University has promoted Ross Cimpl to its full-time athletic director.

Cimpl served as the university’s head football coach for 12 years. With the change, DWU has made assistant coach Alex Kretzschmar the new head football coach.

“As a coach, Ross is a leader who cares about people and strives to put them in the best possible position to succeed,” DWU President Dan Kittle said in announcement. “He has developed student-athletes to be leaders, to prioritize their academics and to go on to lead lives of meaning and purpose. I am grateful that he’s accepted the call to leadership at DWU and I look forward to working even more closely with him.”

A Wagner native, Cimpl finished his football coaching tenure with a record of 65-64 overall, which included a 6-5 season for the Tigers in 2023.

Cimpl ends with the second-most wins (65) and games coached (129) to Joe Kramer in Dakota Wesleyan history. Based on winning percentage (.503), it was the Tigers’ most successful coaching tenure in almost 100 years, dating back to the 1920s when Bud Dougherty coached the Tigers’ football team.

“There is so much positive momentum within this department, and it is a privilege to take on this responsibility,” Cimpl said. “In this role, I want to continue to enhance the student athlete experience at DWU, while working with the community of Mitchell to put DWU in the forefront of the GPAC conference and the NAIA. I am really looking forward to promoting our student-athletes in a more intentional manner. We want to talk about their tremendous stories and accomplishments.”

Kretzschmar will become the 33rd head coach in Tiger football history, which will play its 127th season in 2024. Kretzschmar and offensive line coach Michael Bernarde led the DWU football program while Cimpl was serving as interim AD.

“First…


Source link : https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dwu-names-ross-cimpl-athletic-004600061.html

Author : The Daily Republic, Mitchell, S.D.

Publish date : 2024-02-14 00:46:00

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