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McGettigans step down as Belmont girls basketball coaches
McGettigan
Belmonts Kaleen McGettigan (left) and husband Frank McGettigan (right) have stepped down as the Braves girls basketball coaches.

     BELMONT — Belmont varisty girls’ basketball coach Kaleen McGettigan and her husband Frank McGettigan, the Braves’ JV girls’ basketball coach, have stepped down.

     The news became official at the most recent Belmont school board meeting.

     Kaleen has been the girls’ varsity basketball coach for the past eight seasons and was the JV coach for one year before that. She is a first-grade teacher at Belmont Elementary School.

     Frank, who works for Tri-Cor Insurance in Dodgeville, has been the JV coach and Kaleen’s varsity assistant for the past four seasons.

     “We’ve just decided that we are going to take a break from coaching at this time to focus on starting a family,” Kaleen said. “This is something we have always talked about, that when it was time to start a family we would step away. But we would absolutely like to come back to coaching someday. We are just not sure when that will be.”

     The McGettigans had been thinking about this decision for sometime and in April discussed it with former Belmont athletic director Dave Michal-kiewicz.

     “We talked to Dave and the administration in April after the season, but we took some time to think it over because you’re never supposed to make a decision about leaving a team right after the season. If was definitely a hard decision and not one we took lightly. We will miss the little things like practices and getting ready for games and just being around the girls. High school sports are a special thing and we are going to miss it, especially the athletes that are coming back this season. It’s hard to leave them.”

     The McGettigans led the Braves to a 17–7 overall record last season and a second-place tie in the Six Rivers West at 7–3.

     In her eight seasons as Belmont’s head coach Kaleen compiled a 114–74 record. She recorded her 100th career win Nov. 24 with a 51–20 victory over visiting Fennimore.

     She was also named the Six Rivers West Coach of the Year in 2012 after leading Belmont to its first girls’ basketball conference title in school history.

     “People always ask if it was hard coaching with Frank because he is my husband,” said Kaleen. “I say it’s not because we are on the same team. Now, if we were on different teams coaching against each other, that would be hard. Coaching with Frank has been a lot of fun.”