Pioneer Coach Chris Walter

Chris Walter has built the UW-Platteville program into one of the nation's top wrestling programs in his 14 years as the head coach.

Walter has coached 28 national qualifiers and nine all-Americans. He has an 99-94-3 career record, including an impressive 43-39-1 in the tough Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

A firm believer in challenging his team, Walter has taken his Pioneers across the country for tournaments. His teams have won eight major invitationals over the years, preparing them for conference and nationals.

In 2009-10, the Pioneers were 9-5 overall and advanced Jesse Milks and Vinny Alber to the NCAA III national tournament. Milks earned his third straight all-american award, placing fourth at 157 pounds.

As a first-year head coach in 1997-98, Walter led the Pioneers to a 7-2 overall record and third-place finish in the WIAC meet. The Pioneers advanced six wrestlers to nationals, believed to be a school record. Walter was named the NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year to a 10th-place finish in the NCAA Division III tournament. He was also selected as the WIAC Coach of the Year.

His teams have finished second in the WIAC twice, tying the best finishes in school history. They have been in the top three five times in his career.

Walter was four-year letterwinner at the University of Wisconsin, where he served as team captain in 1995. He was a two-time NCAA Division I national tournament participant. Walter assisted for one year before being named the head coach.

He currently serves on the National Wrestling Coaches Association ranking committee.

Scott McWilliams TITLE: Assistant Coach/Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach E-MAIL: mcwilliamss@uwplatt.edu Scott McWilliams begins his first season as an assistant wrestling coach at UW-Platteville. He is a 2010 graduate of UW-Platteville, where he earned his bachelor's degree in Health Promotion. While working on his degree, he was an assistant coach for the Belmont/Platteville high school wrestling team. After graduation, he did a strength and conditioning internship with the Pioneers' football team and with the University of Wisconsin Badgers Sports Conditioning staff, working with both the football and wrestling teams. Upon graduation, he was hired by The GYM in nearby Dubuque to develop and run the tri-states only strength and conditioning operations. At The GYM, he worked with high school and collegiate athletes of all sports and skill levels.

Jeff Gale TITLE: Assistant Coach E-MAIL: galej@uwplatt.edu Jeff Gale is in his third season as an assistant wrestling coach for the Pioneers. As a three-year letterwinner for the Pioneers, he won the 133-pound weight class at the 2007 North Central Invitational with four pins and placing in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships. He was an academic all-WIAC performer at UW-Platteville. The Oregon, Ill. native led his high school to state placings all four years. Gale was a conference champion after a 39-6 senior year and set an Illinois record with three pins in the state team tournament. Gale graduated in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in middle level education with an interdisciplinary studies minor, with an emphasis in math and science. He is currently working on his master's in counselor education.