WOELKE HANGS UP THE WHISTLE

After seventeen years of coaching, teaching and inspiring at Fullerton College (1997-2014), and thirty two years overall, Coach Debi Woelke is retiring. Woelke was the head women's basketball coach for the Hornets for fifteen years and head women's golf coach for the last two years.

In 2011, Woelke achieved one of her personal goals raising twenty thousand dollars for the Colleen Riley Scholarship Fund through the Fullerton College Foundation, which gives deserving student-athletes a one thousand dollar scholarship each and every year.

Woelke wrapped up her impressive fifteen-year basketball-coaching career at FC in 2012 with a 330-163 (.669) overall record finishing last season 21-9. From 2008 to 2012 Woelke led the Hornets to four consecutive Orange Empire Conference titles. She was voted the Orange Empire Conference Coach of the Year in 1998, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012. She was also named as the State Coach of the Year in 2010.

Woelke won her 400th game as a college head coach on January 19, 2011 (a 65-58 road win against Riverside College); and she notched her 300th win as Fullerton's head coach on January 21, 2011 (a 62-53 win vs. Orange Coast College). Under Woelke, the Hornets have posted eleven 20-win seasons, including the last six campaigns, where FC has compiled an impressive 153-47 record. Under Woelke's leadership, the Hornets qualified for post-season play in 14 out of 15 season.

The 2009-10 season was one of Woelke's most successful as she led the Hornets (32-2 overall) to the State Championship game where they fell to Ventura College in the title game 59-47. Her overall college coaching career spanned 22 years beginning at UC Riverside and then Fullerton College where her overall record stands at 440-253.In addition to her coaching honors, Coach Woelke has received several "Teacher of the Year" honors. She was one of five finalists for FC "Teacher of the Year" in 2005. In 2006 Debi was voted SCOPE's "Physical Educator of the Year". In 2007, Debi was also honored as FC "Teacher of the Year".

Before accepting her dream job at Fullerton College, Debi coached at UC Riverside from 1990-1997 where she compiled a 102-89 record and led them to several "Firsts" including first appearance in the CCAA Post Season Tournament, first NCAA playoff berth and first CCAA Post-Season Tournament Championship. Woelke stepped down as the winningest women's basketball coach in UCR history.

Prior to her college coaching years, Debi coached and taught at her alma mater, Valencia HS, for 7 years. Her last 3 years (1986-1989) she served as Head Basketball Coach and compiled a 59-21 (.738) overall record after winning the CIF 4A Championship. She was named Orange League and CIF Coach of the Year in 1989.

Woelke took over as the Head Coach for the Fullerton College Women's Golf Team in 2012 and made an immediate impact in only 2 years with a 99-27 (.786) overall record, winning the Orange Empire Conference Tournament and taking her team all the way to the State Finals for the first time in FC's history. Her team was 4 strokes from winning a State Championship. Debi was voted Orange Empire Conference Coach of the Year in 2013.

*Photo by Matt Brown