Cummings Resigns as Head Coach
Kate Cummings, head women's basketball coach at The University of Findlay, resigned from her post on Friday, Oct. 4.
Cummings coached the Oilers for seven years and racked up a 107-87 record during her tenure with the program, which included two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) South Division titles (2010, 2011).
"I want to thank the UF community for seven amazing years," said Cummings. "It has been a privilege to coach a great group of young ladies. This decision did not come lightly, but I felt compelled to step down for the sole reason of taking care of my family's needs."
Cummings led the Oilers to their finest season in school history at the NCAA Division II level last year when they ended the season ranked 20th in the nation with a 24-6 record. They went 19-3 in the GLIAC and reached the finals of the GLIAC Tournament for the first time in school history. The Oilers also qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament for only the second time school history, but were upended in the first round by Wayne State University.
The 2012-13 women's basketball team also knocked off top-ranked Ashland University during the regular season by a score of 66-51 in Croy Gymnasium, the only loss the Eagles suffered all season long en route to a national championship.
"Kate has really built what I consider to be a model program," said Steven Rackley, director of athletics at The University of Findlay. "She inherited a tough situation and built the program to where it is today. I want to thank her for what she has done during her time here and wish her the best of luck in the future."
Cummings went 6-21 during her first season with the Oilers in 2007 and then went 9-17 in her second season. In 2009, Cummings led the Oilers to a 14-13 record, their first winning season since the 2003-04 campaign. Her 2010 team then went 22-9 and qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament for the first time in school history. Her squads then went 17-10 in 2011 and 15-12 in 2012 before going 24-6 last year.
Before coming to Findlay, Cummings served as the head coach at Ohio Dominican University for 11 years and posted a 204-144 record there.
Assistant coach Jim Wiedie will take over for Cummings and serve as the head coach.
"Jim has a proven track record of success and I am thankful we have someone on staff with his experience as a head coach," said Rackley. "His existing relationships with the student-athletes on the team and his recruiting expertise will make this transition as smooth as possible."
Wiedie has spent two years on the Oilers staff and was the head coach at Indiana State University from 2000-2010, exiting as the program's all-time leader in wins with 166.
"I am excited about the opportunity to build on the success that coach Cummings has had with this program," said Wiedie. "The last two years here have been a wonderful and rewarding experience for me and I am looking forward to beginning this new role. It is an exciting time to take over the program, which has a ton of potential."
Holding an overall coaching mark of 166-118, Wiedie guided the Sycamores to Missouri Valley Conference regular season championships in 2003 and 2006, and was named the conference Coach of the Year in both seasons. He also earned the WBCA Region VI Coach of the Year award in 2006.
Wiedie also worked as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Walsh University from 1991-1992 and held the same position at Northern Kentucky University from 1992-1997. He then took on an assistant coach role at Indiana State before moving into the head position.