Mark Johnson, a former assistant coach under former men's hockey Head Coach Jeff Sauer, has accepted the position as the head coach of the women's program.
The announcement came in late May, just four-and-a-half months after former Head Coach Trina Bourget resigned from the program due to a medical condition. Johnson will coach a group that finished second in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association last season and has defeated some of the top teams in the nation. UW enters its fourth season next year with a group of talented players that has served as the cornerstone of the team.
For Johnson, the Wisconsin atmosphere is nothing new, as he served as an assistant to Sauer from 1996 to 2002. During his tenure, the Badger men garnered a WCHA regular-season title in 2000 as well as a WCHA Final Five championship in 1998.
In addition, Johnson has coached several Wisconsin players to the professional level, including forwards Dany Heatley and Steve Reinprecht.
As a UW athlete, Johnson is remembered for his success on the ice, as he is the second-leading scorer in Wisconsin history. He garnered 256 points (125 goals and 131 assists) in three seasons with the Badgers.
The new head coach has also seen ice time in the Olympics'he was a member of the 1980 \Miracle On Ice"" U.S. hockey team that defeated the Soviet Union in the semifinals and later Finland in the finals to earn the gold medal. Johnson is the son of legendary former Head Coach Bob Johnson, who coached UW from 1966 to 1982.
It took three sets in the NCAA Tennis Tournament to end senior Danny Westerman's winning career at Wisconsin.
Westerman, who was ranked No. 26 in the nation in singles play, took on No. 10 Tobias Clemens of UCLA at the tournament in College Station, Texas. After dropping the first set 1-6, Westerman rallied back and took the second set 6-3, forcing the match to a third set before losing 3-6.
Westerman thrived as a Badger, playing to a 95-55 career mark in his four-year tenure, becoming the winningest UW player in the past decade. His single-season record was 16-7 in duals and 27-12 overall.
The three-time all-Big Ten honoree is only the 16th Wisconsin men's tennis player since 1950 to receive an NCAA berth.
