ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - Friday was a bittersweet day for Renee Luers-Gillispie.
The UCF head coach will head to her home state as she has been named the head softball coach at the University of Iowa.
"This is a unique opportunity for Renee to go back home and we wish her nothing but the best," said UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Daniel J. White. "She built an outstanding softball program from the ground up here at UCF. Thanks to Renee's efforts, UCF Softball has produced great results in the classroom, in competition and in the community. This is one of the best softball coaching opportunities in the country. We expect to hire a head coach who will continue our tradition of being nationally-competitive."
Luers-Gillispie graduated from Danville High School in 1979, the same year she led her softball team to a conference championship. Her collegiate career began at Kirkwood Community College where she led the Eagles to the National Junior College Championship Tournament and was a top-10 pitcher in the NJCAA.
"Eighteen years ago, I accepted the head coach position at UCF and with the dedication of the department, players, and staff, we have built a program together to be proud of," said Luers-Gillispie. "This opportunity allows me to return to my home state. I have nothing but respect for the UCF athletic department and I am confident there are many great days ahead for the Knights."
After building the Texas Tech softball program, Luers-Gillispie made her way to Orlando, introducing UCF Softball in 2002 to immediate success. In the inaugural season, the Knights went 46-19 with a 21-game win streak.
Throughout her 17-year career, the Knights earned seven NCAA berths, making five NCAA Regional Final appearances.
From the program's first conference title in 2005, to sweeping the regular season and tournament in 2015, UCF collected five league titles across three conferences. Luers-Gillispie's players have earned 67 all-conference honors, five conference player of the year awards, two conference pitchers of the year, two freshmen of the year honors and one co-newcomer of the year award. Four Knights have also gone on to play professionally in the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF).
The Knights produced the best season in program history in 2015. A school record 50 wins highlighted a campaign with 11 single-season records. UCF led the nation with a 0.93 ERA while boasting a .979 fielding percentage that ranked second in the nation in 2015. Making their national poll debut on Feb. 17, the Knights were ranked for 14 consecutive weeks. Reaching as a high as No. 13, UCF finished the 2015 campaign at No. 16.
Academically, UCF has garnered 12 CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, and earned a pair of CoSIDA All-America honors under Gillispie.
Luers-Gillispie departs with 625 career wins at UCF and 830 NCAA wins.
UCF will conduct a national search to find its second head coach in program history immediately.