Barry Kloenhamer

Barry Kloenhamer, a long-time cross country coach and track coach, captured three team state championships during his tenure.  In his first season, he guided the 1979 boys track team to the Class C State Championship, setting eight school records en route to their title.  Kloenhamer also took over the girls and boys cross country programs in 1979.  The girls cross country team earned DeWitt its first state championship in 1981.  Placing five runners in the top forty, DeWitt finished with 121 points, four points better than runner-up Whitehall.  After winning the state title in 1981, the DeWitt girls cross country program had two runner-up finishes and two top ten finishes in the five seasons that followed.  Going into the 1987 season, Kloenhamer had another outstanding group with great depth and balance.  His girls dominated the Capital Circuit, finishing undefeated and securing the Panthers a third straight league championship.  In the span of six dual meets, five invitational meets, and the league meet, DeWitt crushed the competition, placing on average five runners in the top ten.  After winning their fifth regional title in eight seasons, the Panthers were a heavy favorite at the state meet and secured a 78-127 victory over second-place Burton-Atherton.  With a second state championship in hand and five top three finishes at the state meet in the decade, the DeWitt girls cross country program earned the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association (MITCA) award for Class C Team of the 1980s.  Kloenhamer continued to coach both girls and boys cross country, as well as track, until 1994.  He was named State Coach of the Year in 1979, 1981 and 1987.  Kloenhamer retired from coaching in 1994 but has continued teaching social studies at DeWitt High School ever since.