McLennan Community College Women's Golf

Bio Vince Clark stepped into the role of head coach of the McLennan men’s golf team in 2007 after spending the previous six years as an assistant for the program. The Highlanders have competed in 22 consecutive NJCAA national tournaments, and Clark has led the Highlanders to three NJCAA Division I National Championships: back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, and another in 2016, bringing the school’s title count to four. The NJCAA recognized Clark in the association’s inaugural Coaches Legacy Awards in 2025 which honored the winningest coaches in NJCAA history. In 2009, Clark won Coach of the Year honors from Region V, the NJCAA and the Golf Coaches Association of America Eaton/Golf Pride. He received the region and NJCAA awards again in 2010. He was named the NJCAA District II Coach of the Year for the 2013 season and in 2016 was inducted into the NJCAA Men's Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) Hall of Fame. At the opening banquet of the 2022 NJCAA Division I Men’s Golf National Championship, Clark received the inaugural “The Vincer” award. The award, named for Clark, is presented to a coach, player or supporter whose sportsmanship, integrity, and character exemplify the spirit of the game of golf. The plaque includes Clark’s signature phrase, “What Can I Do For You?” In 2018, Clark and the Highlanders joined the Folds of Honor Military Tribute Program through the GCAA, which honors fallen or severely wounded American soldiers, ensuring that no family is left behind in the fight to preserve American freedom. In the Highlanders two years with the program, the team raised $1,800 in donations. During his McLennan tenure, Clark has coached 22 All-Americans and 55 NJCAA All-Academic Team Award winners, seven CSC Academic All-District® Men's At-Large honorees, and the team has received NJCAA All-Academic Team Honorable Mention honors 14 times. In addition to his coaching duties, Clark has taught history classes since joining the McLennan faculty in 1994. A native of Springfield, Missouri, Clark learned the game from his grandfather, a champion golfer. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history in 1983 and received his law degree in 1985, both from Baylor University. He then moved to Tyler, where he practiced law for five years, but in his desire to teach, Clark returned to Baylor and earned a master’s degree in history in 1991. He pursued graduate studies at the University of Virginia for two years before returning to Waco in 1994. Clark and his wife Holly, a French professor at Baylor University, were married in 2023. Coaching experience 2007-present: Head coach, McLennan Community College 2000-07: Assistant coach, McLennan Community College Education 1992-94: Graduate work, University of Virginia 1991: Master’s in history, Baylor University 1985: Juris doctorate, Baylor University 1983: Bachelor’s in history, Baylor University  

Bio Kaity Kent is beginning her third season as the McLennan women’s golf head coach. In her first season with the Highlanders, Kent led the squad to a third-place finish at the NJCAA Southwest District Championship, narrowly missing an automatic qualifying position to the national tournament. The Highlanders were rewarded with an at-large bid to the NJCAA Division I National Championship, where the team finished in fourth place. Sophomore Mia Clarke finished in seventh place, individually, to earn NJCAA Second-Team All-American honors, and the team was selected by the national tournament coaches to receive the 2024 Division I Women’s Golf Sportsmanship Award. The team also excelled in the classroom, earning NJCAA Academic Team Honorable Mention awards. Three players were named North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference selections, and five players received NJCAA All-Academic awards. In 2024-25, the Highlanders finished fourth at the Southwest District Championship, which was shortened to two rounds due to inclement weather. Once again, the team received an at-large bid to nationals where the team finished in 10th place. The team was named a NJCAA Academic Team Honorable Mention selection, and four players earned NJCAA All-Academic awards. Kent came to McLennan after two years as the assistant coach for the men’s and women’s golf teams at Houston Christian University (HCU), where she worked directly with student-athletes on individual skills as well as planning drills, and assisting with tournament strategies, recruiting, budgeting, social media marketing and academic success. Prior to her coaching stint at HCU, Kent served as the Waco Site Director, for LPGA*USGA, the Director of Junior Golf Instruction at the Heart of Texas Junior Golf Academy and an assistant coach at Vanguard College Preparatory School in Waco, where she helped lead three players to top-10 finishes at the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS) 3A State Championship, and the assistant golf professional at Woodforest Golf Club in Montgomery. Kent is considered one of the most decorated in HCU, formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), women’s golf history. During her time as a Huskie, she helped the squad claim back-to-back Southland Conference Championship in 2017 and 2018, winning the individual conference championship in 2018. She was a four-time all-conference selection, earning first-team honors in 2018 and 2019. Kent also excelled in the classroom, earning four NGCA/WGCA All-American Scholar honors and four Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognitions. She was also selected to the Academic All-Conference Team twice and was a two-time winner of the HBU Jan Edds Female Athlete of the Year award. She represented the women’s golf team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma student-athlete academic honors fraternity. A Waco native, Kent was a four-year letter winner at Vanguard, where she led the Vikings to back-to-back TAPPS state championships her sophomore and junior year. Individually, she finished third at the state tournament as a junior and fourth as a sophomore. Kent earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology with a specialization in sports management from HCU in 2019. She and her husband, Nathan, have one son, Levi. Coaching experience 2023-present: Head coach, McLennan Community College 2021-23: Assistant coach, Houston Christian University Jan.-Aug. 2021: Waco Site Director, LPGA*USGA 2020-21: Director of junior golf instruction, Heart of Texas Golf Academy 2020-21: Assistant coach, Vanguard College Preparatory School 2019-20: Assistant golf professional, Woodforest Golf Club Playing experience 2015-19: Houston Christian University (formerly Houston Baptist) Education 2019: Bachelor’s in kinesiology with specialization in sports management, Houston Christian University (formerly Houston Baptist)