Las Vegas, N.V. –The Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) presented Oglethorpe Director of Golf, Jim Owen, as the winner of the Division III Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award Monday December 8th,2014, marking the second time Owen has won the award in the last three years.
The presentation took place at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas as part of the annual GCAA National Convention. It marks the third consecutive year in which Owen has received an award at the annual convention, as he was inducted into the GCAA Hall of Fame last year and received his first career Dave Williams Award in 2012.
“It’s an honor to be selected for this award with so many great teams and deserving coaches working so hard in Division III,” said Owen. “We accomplished a lot last year, overcame every obstacle, and were within striking distance of our third national championship. All of the credit for my award goes to this team.”
During the 2013-14 season, the Stormy Petrel men’s golf squad came within just a few strokes of winning their third national championship in six years, but came away with the program’s first national runner-up finish and fifth Top 5 finish in program history. Sophomore Anthony Maccaglia was named First Team All-America for the third consecutive year in 2014 and became the first Division III golfer selected to compete in the Palmer Cup. Senior Hayden Jones garnered Second Team All-America honors for his third consecutive All-America designation. In addition, sophomore David Kleckner received All-America honorable mention accolades.
Owen led the team to three tournament victories over the course of the season, including the Camp Lejeune Championship in Jacksonville, N.C.; the Callaway Gardens Intercollegiate in Pine Mountain, Ga.; and the Golfweek D3 Fall Invitational in Destin, Fla.
Owen earned a coach of the year triple, of sorts. He was named the SAA Coach of the Year in April, marking the 14th time in 17 years that he has earned a conference coach of the year accolade. Then in May, he earned his fifth South Region Coach of the Year honor. It marked his third South Region Coach of the Year award in a row and his fourth in the last six years.
Owen had company among SAA coaches on the stage. In a rare conference sweep, Rhodes women’s golf head coach Mike Clary received the Eaton Golf Pride Women’s Golf Coaches Association Coach of the Year award for leading his team to its first national championship in 2014.
“We talk a lot about how strong the SAA is in golf,” said Owen. “Lately, with three men’s teams in the GCAA Top 10 last year and Mike and his Rhodes girls winning the women’s championship, we’ve proven that the SAA is certainly one of the top golf conferences in Division III.”
Thus far, the 2014-15 season has been a successful one for the Petrels. They took victories at the Tournament Town Championship Preview at the site of the 2015 NCAA Championship in Greensboro, N.C., then won the Royal Lakes/Oglethorpe Fall Invitational in Flowery Branch, G.A., an event where they served as tournament host. Moving forward into the spring season with a No. 2 national ranking, the Stormy Petrels will begin in Pine Mountain, Ga., at the Callaway Gardens Intercollegiate March 1-2, 2014. As always, they will host the prestigious Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational March 13-15, 2014 in preparation for another run at the NCAA Division III Championship in
Greensboro May 12-15, 2014.