Tina Kuhle is the new women's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Athletic Director Mark Molesworth announced today.

Kuhle, an assistant for the Pioneers for the past two seasons, replaces Denise Dunbar, who resigned May 18 after six seasons.

Besides her two years on the Pioneer bench, Kuhle has plenty of basketball coaching experience. While at Clarke College, she earned two Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference basketball coach of the year and led the Crusaders to three league championships.

In six seasons, Kuhle guided the Dubuque school to an 84-59 record, including a 45-11 conference mark. She had five winning campaigns in her six years and had 14 all-conference selections and five academic all-conference student-athletes.

Kuhle also earned two NIIC coach of the year awards in softball after leading Clarke to a pair of conference championships. In addition, she guided the Crusaders to a softball title in the Midwest Classic Conference. Kuhle, who assisted the UWP softball program for two years, helped the Pioneers to the 2003 WIAC championship.

A 1994 graduate of Clarke College, Kuhle was a four-time Crusader basketball team MVP and is the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,773 points and assist leader with 425. She still holds the Clarke single-game assist record with 16 vs. Cardinal Stritch. Kuhle earned her bachelor of arts degree with a major in business administration/accounting.

To follow state regulations, Kuhle will serve as the interim head coach until a national search can be conducted after the 2004-05 season, Molesworth said.

The Pioneers were 73-82 in Dunbar's six years and were 8-8 in each of the last three seasons in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They lose three all-conference seniors from last year's 14-12 club.