Terri Sullivan decided it was time to make a change. The head coach of the Illinois softball team announced her retirement Thursday.

Sullivan, who is the only head coach in program history, served as the team’s head coach for 16 seasons. 

“It is time to make a change for my immediate family, however, and, in particular, get us in the same location,” she said in a statement.

That same location is Iowa, where Sullivan plans to move. Her husband, Shawn Wax, serves as the vice president of the University of Iowa Foundation.

Sullivan was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2010. She departs with a record of 488-369-2.

“Not so very long ago, I said something else to the team that I learned early on, ‘Challenge and opportunity are inexplicably joined.’ I do look forward to the challenges and opportunities my future has in store for my family and me,” Sullivan said.

Donna DiBiase will serve as interim head coach until a permanent coaching decision has been made. DiBiase has been the team’s associate head coach since 2004. She served as the head coach of Loyola University in Chicago from 1997-1999.

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