PLYMOUTH, Wis. --- Sheboygan County native Sara Klemme has been named the new head coach for the Lakeland University men's and women's track & field and cross country programs, Director of Athletics Dan Artamenko has announced.

A native of Sheboygan Falls, Klemme steps into her first collegiate head coaching position. She replaces Pete Barth, who is retiring from head coaching duties after leading the program the previous eight years.

"I'm thankful to A.D. Dan Artamenko and the rest of the hiring committee for the chance to be a part of the Lakeland family," said Klemme.

"I felt so welcomed on my campus visit by all of the staff in the athletic department and I look forward to building on those relationships with staff and the current student athletes in the program. I'm excited to get started with the cross country and track & field programs right away!"

Klemme is a former NCAA Division III student-athlete and also has three years of experience coaching at the NCAA Division II level. She spent the last year at Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, Ind., where she was assistant track & field coach for throws for the school's men's and women's teams.

Klemme coached throwers who set five school records in her year at Purdue Northwest, as well as four all-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference athletes. She also was handled team social media accounts and was involved in many administrative and organizational functions with the program, including fundraising and recruiting.

Klemme previously spent two years as a graduate assistant with the cross country and track & field programs at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. She coached men's and women's throwers and combined event athletes, handled administrative tasks and also as a GA taught physical education classes at Parkside while getting her master's degree in sports management.

Klemme competed in track & field for four years at Lawrence University in Appleton, where she was an eight-time letter winner competing in throwing events in the indoor and outdoor seasons for the Vikings. Klemme also was co-chair of the Lawrence Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and received the school's Viking Award for her overall contributions on campus, including involvement in numerous clubs and activities on campus. She graduated from Lawrence with her degree in biology.