Lemke spent 16 years with the Gators, serving 12 as associate head coach.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Florida Track and Field program announced Monday the retirement of associate head coach Steve Lemke, who will step down at the end of the current track and field season. Additionally, it was announced that assistant coach Mellanee Welty will become associate head coach for the women’s team while Nic Petersen will step into that role for the men’s team.
“My time with the Gators has been some of the most memorable years of my professional life,” Lemke said. “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such great athletes, coaches and staff here at UF, and although I am moving on to the next chapter of my life, I will forever be a Florida Gator.”
A 35-year veteran of the collegiate and international coaching ranks, Lemke spent the past 16 years at UF-12 of which he served as associate head coach-molding Florida’s throwing corps to be one of the best in the nation.
“Words can’t express what Steve Lemke has meant to this track and field program,” Gators Track and Field Head Coach Mike Holloway said.” 13 years ago, when Jeremy Foley decided to combine the programs, Steve made it clear to me that he shared my passion to make this the premier program in the country. Steve delivered on his promise daily and the results speak for themselves.”
During his tenure at UF, Lemke played an important role in the program’s continued success. Since his first season at Florida in 2006, Gators throwers collected 36 individual men’s and women’s SEC titles, which is the most by any school in the conference in that span with only Georgia coming close with 30.
In addition to SEC championships, the Gators produced nine individual men’s and women’s NCAA champions, and earned more than 70 USTFCCCA All-America honors under Lemke’s direction.
“To say that Steve Lemke played a key role in the success of the Florida Track and Field program would be an understatement,” Florida Athletic Director Scott Stricklin said. “His influence has helped the program win nine national championships and 11 SEC Championships, while producing a number of individual national and conference champions, school record holders, Olympians and World Champion Medalists. More importantly is the number of student athletes he has impacted during his tenure with his guidance, support, encouragement and friendship over the years. On behalf of all of those Gator student athletes, we thank Steve for his commitment to them and our track and field program.”
Among many of the athletes who developed under Lemke’s watch was Gator Great Mariam Kevkhishvili, who was inducted into UF’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2020.
Kevkhishvili tied the school record with five individual NCAA titles in the shot put (2008, 2009 & 2010 indoors, and 2009 & 2010 outdoors), in addition to collecting five individual SEC crowns (2007, 2009 & 2010 outdoors, and 2009 & 2010 indoors) to become the second woman in NCAA history to win consecutive indoor, and outdoor NCAA shot put titles. Additionally, Kevkhishvili earned eight USTFCCCA All-America First Team honors and was named SEC Field Athlete of the Year in 2009 indoors and 2010 outdoors.
Over the years, Lemke continued to deliver success out of the Florida throwing corps with national and conference titles from Evelien Dekkers (NCAA champion / three-time SEC champion), Fawn Miller (NCAA champion / two-time SEC champion) and Stipe Zunic (NCAA champion / four-time SEC champion), among others.
Lemke’s latest championship product came from weight and hammer throw school record holder Thomas Mardal.
A five-time first-team All-American, Mardal collected SEC titles in 2019 in the hammer throw, and in 2020 and 2021 in the weight throw. At the national level, Mardal was crowned NCAA champion in the weight throw earlier this year, breaking the school record and becoming the third-best performer in collegiate history.
In addition to national and conference titles in the throws, Lemke contributed toward seven multis SEC titles. Lemke co-coached Gray Horn to three SEC Outdoors decathlon championships (2009, 2010 and 2011) and two SEC Indoors heptathlon crowns (2011 and 2012). Additionally, Lemke helped Brittany Harrel and Amanda Froeynes earn outdoors conference heptathlon titles in 2012 and 2019, respectively.
Lemke also had an impact on his student athletes in the classroom as three of his UF pupils received four of the most prominent academic honors.
Under Lemke’s mentorship in 2018, Anders Erikson was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America Second Team and was tabbed the SEC Outdoor Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Meanwhile David Triassi received Capital One Academic All-America First Team honors in 2013 and Evelien Dekkers was named the 2010 USTFCCCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
“Steve has been not just a Colleague, but also a trusted friend,” added Holloway. “I wish him great success in whatever he decides to do next, and I’m sure he will do it with the same pride and passion in which he did his job here.”
Lemke by the Numbers
* 14 Individual Men’s and Women’s National Championships (9 by Gators)
* 36 Individual Men’s and Women’s SEC Championships
* 50 Gators Men’s and Women’s NCAA Championships Scorers
* 72 Men’s and Women’s USTFCCCA All-America Honors by Gators
* 8 University of Florida School Records Broken
* 15 Olympics Appearances
* 2 IAAF World Championships Medalists
* 1 Olympic gold medalist (2000 – Nick Hysong, Arizona State)
