Cardinal Athletics
Success In and Out of the Classroom
Pass, set, spike… the Cardinals volleyball team makes an ace outside the court in receiving the prestigious 2005-06 Game Plan/AVCA Team Academic Award. The talented team was one of 31 NCAA Division II schools to be presented the award by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and one of two San Antonio universities.
The award was established during the 1992-93 academic year to honor collegiate and high school teams that have displayed excellence in the classroom. Recipients must maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average (GPA) on a 4.0 scale and a 4.10 cumulative team grade-point average on a 5.0 scale during the academic school year. Congratulations team!
With the fall season underway, the Cardinal teams take hold as contenders in NCAA Division II and the Heartland Conference. It takes skill and expertise to build today's Cardinal competitors as they rise in the ranks. UIW's coaches know what it takes. And they've strengthened their roster with three proven leaders to give key teams that extra winning edge.
Star Lineup of New Coaches
Cardinals round out staff with top-notch talent
Ken Burmeister -- Men's Basketball
Over the course of 30 years in collegiate basketball, new head coach Ken Burmeister has led teams at three other schools. His coaching of the University of Texas at San Antonio team resulted in a four-year mark of 72-44 and a trip to the first round of the NCAA Division I National Championships in 1988. As head coach of Loyola University's team in Chicago, IL, Burmeister moved his teams from five wins in the first year to a break-even record in the fourth season. At Trinity University, his team's record was 16-9 with two tournament wins.
Burmeister also spent time as assistant coach at the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Iowa, the University of Arizona and DePaul University in Chicago, IL. The Wisconsin native is a graduate of St. Mary's University and holds a master's degree in education from Northern Arizona University.
John Smith -- Men's Soccer
As a former professional soccer player, John Smith immediately began remolding the Cardinals soccer program and installing his own style and philosophy as UIW's new head coach. For the past eight years, Smith assisted in coaching both men's and women's soccer at California State University (CSU) at Bakersfield. During his tenure, CSU won a conference championship, was runner-up in the conference and twice advanced to the NCAA Division II national championship tournament. Smith was also named soccer chairman for the Far West Region of Division II.
Originally from Wigan, England, Smith earned a bachelor's degree with honors from Rollins College, FL, and a master's degree from CSU Bakersfield. At Rollins, his on-field performances were unparalleled. He was the 1996 Rollins Male Athlete of the Year, the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the Tars all-time leader with 142 career points including a record 42 assists. His 50 goals scored were third in school history. In 2003, he was elected to the SSC Hall of Fame. He flourished as a professional player in the U.S and became the first foreign player ever drafted out of college by Major League Soccer.
Phillip Davis -- Women's Swimming
Instrumental in breaking every mark of Ouachita Baptist University’s (OBU's) record, new UIW head swimming coach Phillip Davis is no stranger to coaching success. During his three years as assistant swimming coach for both men and women at OBU in Arkansas, Davis had two of his swimmers participate in the U.S. Olympic trials and 26 athletes achieve All-American status. Twice, the swimming teams had the nation's highest cumulative grade-point average.
During the past six years, Davis has been a physical education instructor at both OBU and Henderson State University. He was also a former head coach for the Little Rock Dolphins satellite team in Arkansas. He coached swimming and diving at Arkadelphia High School where his teams consistently rated in the state's top 10 and two of his swimmers won state titles. A native of Camden, AR, and former swimmer, he holds a bachelor's degree in physical education from OBU and a master's degree in sports administration from Henderson State.