2017 Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award presented by Golf Pride Grips Announced

ATLANTA – The GCAA in conjunction with Golf Pride Grips today announced the six outstanding collegiate golf coaches receiving the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award presented by Golf Pride Grips. Golf Pride Grips will present the coaches with their awards during the Hall of Fame Banquet at the GCAA National Convention on December 11.

Scott Limbaugh, Vanderbilt (Division I), West Florida’s Steve Fell (Division II), David Schreyer of Huntingdon (Division III), Grand View’s Chris Winkel (NAIA), Rob Murray of Indian Hills (NJCAA Division I), and Ronnie Ross of Copiah-Lincoln (NJCAA Division II) earned coach of the year honors for 2017. Golf Pride Grips Region and District Coaches of the Year were also named.

Since his arrival prior to the 2012 campaign, Limbaugh has quickly established Vanderbilt’s program as one of the nation’s best. The Commodores captured the SEC Championship for the first time in program history and won the prestigious Nike Collegiate Invitational. PING First-Team All-America selection Patrick Martin and Matthias Schwab earned First-Team All-SEC honors, Theo Humphrey landed on the All-SEC Second Team and John Augenstein became Vanderbilt’s first SEC Freshman of the Year honoree. Limbaugh’s charges qualified for a fourth-consecutive NCAA Championship finals, placing first in the stroke-play portion of the championship and advancing to the semifinals in match play.

Fell is in his 23rd year at the helm at West Florida. In 2016-17, the Argonauts won a school-record eight tournaments, including their fourth NCAA Regional, before finishing third overall at the NCAA Championships. West Florida spent six rankings atop the Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll, including the last five of the regular season. UWF set a pair of single-season records with a 284.39 stroke average - a year removed from a 288.58 mark. Argonaut Chandler Blanchet won the Arnold Palmer National Individual Champion Award for earning medalist honors at the NCAA Division II Championships and was named Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award presented by Barbasol recipient.

Schreyer and Huntingdon were ranked first for much of the season in the Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll. It placed first in five tournaments and finished in the top four in all 10 events. The Hawks averaged 290.44 per round, almost seven strokes better than the team’s 297.37 average in 2016. Schreyer was tabbed USA South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year while Addison Lambeth was named USA South Golfer of the Year and PING First-Team All-America. Joining Lambeth as PING All-Region selections were Will Thrash, Chad Ring and Stephen Shephard.

Winkel is in his 14th season as head golf coach at Grand View. Under his leadership, the Viking men’s golf program has grown to be one of the top programs in the nation, winning the NAIA National Championship title in 2017. Winkel led the Vikings to nine national tournament appearances in 2006, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2107, never finishing outside the top 12. Grand View has won six straight Midwest Collegiate Conference Championships along with two straight Heart of America Athletic Conference Championships.

Murray is in his second season at Indian Hills Community College. The Warriors were ranked first or shared No. 1 in the final seven regular season rankings of the Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll. Indian Hills won six tournaments this season, the Mt. Mercy Fall Classic, Dodge City CC Shootout, TaylorMade adidas Intercollegiate, Eagle Spring Classic, Southwest Kansas Shootout, and the NJCAA District III Championship. The Warriors were runner-up in their six remaining tournaments. Jackson Bugdalski and Ricky Sanders were PING First-Team All-America Selections while Jakub Bares was an honorable mention selection. Sanders was also named recipient of the Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award.

In his 16th season at the helm, Copiah-Lincoln Community College golf coach Ronny Ross has led the Wolfpack golf team to another successful season. The team won the 2017 NJCAA District D Golf Championship along with two additional team titles. It was runner-up in three events and only placed outside the top six once this season. Ross is a member of the PGA of America Gulf States Section. He also serves as director of golf operations at Wolf Hollow Golf Course in Wesson, Miss.

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Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award Presented by Golf Pride Grips

Division I - Scott Limbaugh, Vanderbilt
Division II - Steve Fell, West Florida
Division III - David Schreyer, Huntingdon
NAIA - Chris Winkel, Grand View
NJCAA Division I - Rob Murray, Indian Hills
NJCAA Division II - Ronny Ross, Copiah-Lincoln

Golf Pride Grips Region and District Coaches of the Year

Division I
Northeast - Greg Nye, Penn State
East - Larry Penley, Clemson
Southeast - Scott Limbaugh, Vanderbilt
Midwest - Herb Page, Kent State
Central - Mike McGraw, Baylor
West - Casey Martin, Oregon

Division II
East - Joe Tesori, LeMoyne
Atlantic - Will Johnson, Charleston
Southeast - Howard Vroon, Newberry
South - Steve Fell, West Florida
Midwest - Kyle Wittenbach, Ferris State
Central - Luke Calcatera, Arkansas Tech
South Central - Phil Trujillo, CU-Colorado Springs
West - TL Brown, California Baptist

Division III
Northeast - Jeff Page, Babson
Mid-Atlantic - Dan Rodgers, Carnegie Mellon
South - David Schreyer, Huntingdon
Great Lakes - Jeff Roope, Wittenberg
Central - Bob Alpers, Saint John’s
West - Jordan Cox, Mary Hardin-Baylor

NAIA
North - Chris Winkel, Grand View
South - Ben Rickett, Dalton State
Central - Kyle Blaser, Oklahoma City
West - Jason Semelsberger, The Master’s University

NJCAA Division I
District I - Sandy Davis, Eastern Arizona
District II - Matt McCormick, Western Texas
District III - Rob Murray, Indian Hills
District IV - Dave Jennings, Central Alabama

NJCAA Division II
East - Aaron Feyes, Andrew College
Central - Ronny Ross, Copiah-Lincoln
West - Al Smith, Murray State (OK)