Wausau West High School has accepted the resignation of long-time volleyball coach, Cathy Newton, according to a district news release issued Monday.
Before coming to Wausau West, Newton began her career at Ripon High School, coaching for two years. Since then, Newton has been at the helm of Warrior volleyball for 36 years amassing a 731 and 552 record, reaching the 700-win pinnacle on August 28, 2019.
Newton led Warrior volleyball teams to three Conference championships, multiple Regional championships, seven Sectional championships and seven State Tournament appearances. She coached 80 All-Conference players and 14 All-State athletes and touched the lives of more than 2,500 high school athletes. She has served on the WIAA Coaches Advisory Council and the Coaches Associations All-State Selection Committee.
Newton also coached softball at West for 33 years.
In her letter to players and parents coach, Newton said:
“I have been fortunate to work with great players and great families. I’ve been blessed with assistants and administration that shared the same vision and passion for the sport. I’ve had the opportunity to work with fantastic student-athletes and multi-sport athletes. I’ll miss working with my returning athletes, but I will be able to see them grow into their roles next fall. I know they’ll do fine without me, but I’ll miss the daily contact in the season with truly genuine and great kids. I look forward to watching current and future graduates in playing, coaching, officiating, parenting, and career roles. It truly is one of the best rewards of coaching. Volleyball has been a part of my life for my entire teaching career, marriage, kids, and now into the next phase. I know I will really miss it and all of you, but I am looking forward to seeing summer and fall outside of the gym……Thank you to everyone who has helped along the way! I have so many great memories. It’s too hard to even begin to list them all. I look forward to watching the program grow and to being the number one Warrior volleyball fan. Thanks for your part in helping to make being a varsity volleyball coach a great experience. I’ll be a Warrior Volleyball fan forever and always available to my present and past players. Stop in and visit.”
West Athletic Director Brian Miller praised Newton for her leadership during her long tenure at the school.
“I have been around many, many coaches and only a select few have done it so well for such a long time,” Miller said. “Cathy has been a consistent model of what high school coaches should be. She is a beloved member of the Warrior family.”
Wausau West administration will begin the search for Coach Newton’s replacement this spring.
