Michael Leotta is in his fourth season as the head coach of the University of Illinois Springfield golf program in 2024-25. It is his second stint at UIS after previously being an assistant coach for the Prairie Stars.
The UIS golf program had a historical year in 2022-23 as UIS women's golf won its first conference championship, freshman Alex Seibal earned First Team All-GLVC recognition after finishing in the top-5 at the GLVC Men's Golf Championship, and Coach Leotta was named the GLVC Women's Golf Coach of the Year. The women's team earned its first automatic bid to the NCAA Regional, going on to finish 8th. Heather McLean advanced to the NCAA DII Women's Golf Championships as an individual.
In his first year as the head coach in 2021-22, Leotta helped Madison DeRousse advance to the NCAA Regional Championships as an individual. DeRousse had a top-10 scoring average in UIS history. UIS men’s and women’s individuals had four top-five finishes on the year, including tournament runner-up showings by Spencer Jury and DeRousse.
Off the course, nine golfers earned the GLVC Individual Academic All-Conference award. Both the men’s and women’s teams were winners of the GLVC Team Academic All-Conference honor, and the men’s golf team was the top men’s program at UIS with a 3.60 team GPA.
Leotta was an assistant for the Prairie Stars from 2013-16. He helped the men’s team advance to two GLVC Match Plays at the conference tournament. He also assisted in coaching Talon Supak, the first UIS men’s golfer to win the NCAA Regional Tournament, advance to the NCAA national Championships, and to be named an All-American.
On the women’s side, Leotta helped UIS advance to the 2016 NCAA Regional Tournament, the first appearance in program history for that squad. That 2016 team also finished third at the GLVC Championships.
Leotta left UIS for the 2016-17 season, and became the assistant women’s coach at Fresno State University. He helped that team finish fourth in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, and coached one individual who qualified for the NCAA Regional.
Leotta was next the head coach men’s and women’s golf coach from 2017-2019 at Wittenberg University. He led the men’s team there to two top-10 national finishes in the NCAA Division III National Tournament with an eighth-place showing in 2018 and a sixth-place finish the next year. He won two conference championships, and was named the 2019 conference and region Coach of the Year. Leotta was also a finalist for the Dave Williams Golf Pride National Coach of the Year honor.
On the women’s side at Wittenberg, the Tigers were runner-up in each of their conference championship events under Leotta. He also coached the program’s first four-time first-team All-American for one season, and helped her finish third as an individual at the 2018 national championships.
Wittenberg two golf teams won a combined 15 tournaments, and had eight individual wins in his time in Ohio.
Leotta was the first assistant Golf Professional at the Illini Country Club from 2005-2016, and chaired the junior golf program at that course with an annual enrollment of 125 kids. The PGA Certified Professional is currently a teaching professional in the Springfield area.
Leotta earned his bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University in 2003, majoring in history and minoring in political science.
