Mercer University Women's Golf

Drinkard to Mercer as the head coach of our womens golf program," Cole said.  "Micheles teams have displayed a proven track record of success both on the course and in the classroom and we are excited about the energy and leadership she brings to this program. Drinkard  brings a strong resume to the Bears womens golf program, as the 12-year veteran of the head coaching ranks spent eight seasons at Ole Miss after leading the Birmingham Southern program for four years. During that time, Drinkards teams have made seven NCAA appearances and had individuals qualify for NCAA Regional play on two separate occasions. I am thrilled to have this opportunity that Jim Cole and Sybil Blalock have provided for me at Mercer, said Drinkard. There is a great foundation of young talent in the womens golf program and Im looking forward to developing these young ladies and helping them reach their highest attainable goals. Drinkard reignited Ole Miss womens golf during her eight-year tenure with the Rebels, taking over a program that finished at the bottom of the Southeastern Conference standings to five straight NCAA Regional appearances from 2009 to 2013. Prior to her time at Ole Miss, Drinkard spent six seasons at Birmingham Southern including four as head coach. She led the Panthers to back-to-back NCAA appearances while coaching the 2006 and 2007 Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year and the 2007 Big South Player of the Year. A member of the Womens Golf Coaches Association All-America and Awards Committee, Drinkard has coached 15 all-conference performers during her career. That list includes Ole Miss first All-American, Dori Carter, one of Drinkards six former players that are currently on the LPGA Tour. Drinkards teams have also had success off the course, as 20 student-athletes earned WGCA All-American Scholar honors and over 30 players have been named to the WGCA All-Scholar team. Her 2009 team Ole Miss earned the Chancellors Cup for the highest grade-point average among the departments womens sports, while two former players were named to the prestigious University of Mississippi Taylor Medalist list. Her success as a coach and an instructor has also been rewarded. Drinkard was named the Dixie Section PGA Teacher of the Year and a three-time Top 50 Teacher by Golf for Women magazine, while also garnering Big South Coach of the Year honors in 2006 and 2007. At Mercer she will take over a program that returns five of its top six players from the 2014-15 campaign. The Bears will also be helped by a celebrated recruiting class that includes four players ranked among the top-100 players in the 2015 class by Golfweek/Sagarin. Im excited to get started, added Drinkard. We will establish our culture during this first year and work with the strong foundation already laid to begin pushing for conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.  "I'm excited for the Mercer women's golf program! Michele Drinkard is an incredible golf coach and will bring lots of success to the program. She has been a major influence on my golf career both on and off the course and as a Georgia native, I am excited about seeing her coach in my home state." Dori Carter, LPGA Professional and former Ole Miss Rebel "I believe Coach Drinkard will be a great asset in impacting the women's golf program at Mercer University. During my time at Ole Miss I was able to witness first hand a coach who had a strength in developing young players. Coach Drinkard not only knew the importance of practicing with a purpose but she knew how to help players organize productive practice plans and be motivated to do them. I will be eager to watch the program excel in the near future." Haley (Millsap) Italia, LPGA Professional and former Ole Miss Rebel Mercer Director of Athletics Jim Cole announced the hiring of Michele Drinkard as the university's next women's golf coach on June 22, 2015, welcoming the veteran NCAA Division I head coach to the fold for the 2015-16 academic year. "We are pleased to welcome Michele Drinkard to Mercer as the head coach of our womens golf program," Cole said.  "Micheles teams have displayed a proven track record of success both on the course and in the classroom and we are excited about the energy and leadership she brings to this program. Drinkard  brings a strong resume to the Bears womens golf program, as the 12-year veteran of the head coaching ranks spent eight seasons at Ole Miss after leading the Birmingham Southern program for four years. During that time, Drinkards teams have made seven NCAA appearances and had individuals qualify for NCAA Regional play on two separate occasions. I am thrilled to have this opportunity that Jim Cole and Sybil Blalock have provided for me at Mercer, said Drinkard. There is a great foundation of young talent in the womens golf program and Im looking forward to developing these young ladies and helping them reach their highest attainable goals. Drinkard reignited Ole Miss womens golf during her eight-year tenure with the Rebels, taking over a program that finished at the bottom of the Southeastern Conference standings to five straight NCAA Regional appearances from 2009 to 2013. Prior to her time at Ole Miss, Drinkard spent six seasons at Birmingham Southern including four as head coach. She led the Panthers to back-to-back NCAA appearances while coaching the 2006 and 2007 Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year and the 2007 Big South Player of the Year. A member of the Womens Golf Coaches Association All-America and Awards Committee, Drinkard has coached 15 all-conference performers during her career. That list includes Ole Miss first All-American, Dori Carter, one of Drinkards six former players that are currently on the LPGA Tour. Drinkards teams have also had success off the course, as 20 student-athletes earned WGCA All-American Scholar honors and over 30 players have been named to the WGCA All-Scholar team. Her 2009 team Ole Miss earned the Chancellors Cup for the highest grade-point average among the departments womens sports, while two former players were named to the prestigious University of Mississippi Taylor Medalist list. Her success as a coach and an instructor has also been rewarded. Drinkard was named the Dixie Section PGA Teacher of the Year and a three-time Top 50 Teacher by Golf for Women magazine, while also garnering Big South Coach of the Year honors in 2006 and 2007. At Mercer she will take over a program that returns five of its top six players from the 2014-15 campaign. The Bears will also be helped by a celebrated recruiting class that includes four players ranked among the top-100 players in the 2015 class by Golfweek/Sagarin. Im excited to get started, added Drinkard. We will establish our culture during this first year and work with the strong foundation already laid to begin pushing for conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.  "I'm excited for the Mercer women's golf program! Michele Drinkard is an incredible golf coach and will bring lots of success to the program. She has been a major influence on my golf career both on and off the course and as a Georgia native, I am excited about seeing her coach in my home state." Dori Carter, LPGA Professional and former Ole Miss Rebel "I believe Coach Drinkard will be a great asset in impacting the women's golf program at Mercer University. During my time at Ole Miss I was able to witness first hand a coach who had a strength in developing young players. Coach Drinkard not only knew the importance of practicing with a purpose but she knew how to help players organize productive practice plans and be motivated to do them. I will be eager to watch the program excel in the near future." Haley (Millsap) Italia, LPGA Professional and former Ole Miss Rebel Mercer Director of Athletics Jim Cole announced the hiring of Michele Drinkard as the university's next women's golf coach on June 22, 2015, welcoming the veteran NCAA Division I head coach to the fold for the 2015-16 academic year. "We are pleased to welcome Michele Drinkard to Mercer as the head coach of our womens golf program," Cole said.  "Micheles teams have displayed a proven track record of success both on the course and in the classroom and we are excited about the energy and leadership she brings to this program. Drinkard  brings a strong resume to the Bears womens golf program, as the 12-year veteran of the head coaching ranks spent eight seasons at Ole Miss after leading the Birmingham Southern program for four years. During that time, Drinkards teams have made seven NCAA appearances and had individuals qualify for NCAA Regional play on two separate occasions. I am thrilled to have this opportunity that Jim Cole and Sybil Blalock have provided for me at Mercer, said Drinkard. There is a great foundation of young talent in the womens golf program and Im looking forward to developing these young ladies and helping them reach their highest attainable goals. Drinkard reignited Ole Miss womens golf during her eight-year tenure with the Rebels, taking over a program that finished at the bottom of the Southeastern Conference standings to five straight NCAA Regional appearances from 2009 to 2013. Prior to her time at Ole Miss, Drinkard spent six seasons at Birmingham Southern including four as head coach. She led the Panthers to back-to-back NCAA appearances while coaching the 2006 and 2007 Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year and the 2007 Big South Player of the Year. A member of the Womens Golf Coaches Association All-America and Awards Committee, Drinkard has coached 15 all-conference performers during her career. That list includes Ole Miss first All-American, Dori Carter, one of Drinkards six former players that are currently on the LPGA Tour. Drinkards teams have also had success off the course, as 20 student-athletes earned WGCA All-American Scholar honors and over 30 players have been named to the WGCA All-Scholar team. Her 2009 team Ole Miss earned the Chancellors Cup for the highest grade-point average among the departments womens sports, while two former players were named to the prestigious University of Mississippi Taylor Medalist list. Her success as a coach and an instructor has also been rewarded. Drinkard was named the Dixie Section PGA Teacher of the Year and a three-time Top 50 Teacher by Golf for Women magazine, while also garnering Big South Coach of the Year honors in 2006 and 2007. At Mercer she will take over a program that returns five of its top six players from the 2014-15 campaign. The Bears will also be helped by a celebrated recruiting class that includes four players ranked among the top-100 players in the 2015 class by Golfweek/Sagarin. Im excited to get started, added Drinkard. We will establish our culture during this first year and work with the strong foundation already laid to begin pushing for conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances.  "I'm excited for the Mercer women's golf program! Michele Drinkard is an incredible golf coach and will bring lots of success to the program. She has been a major influence on my golf career both on and off the course and as a Georgia native, I am excited about seeing her coach in my home state." Dori Carter, LPGA Professional and former Ole Miss Rebel "I believe Coach Drinkard will be a great asset in impacting the women's golf program at Mercer University. During my time at Ole Miss I was able to witness first hand a coach who had a strength in developing young players. Coach Drinkard not only knew the importance of practicing with a purpose but she knew how to help players organize productive practice plans and be motivated to do them. I will be eager to watch the program excel in the near future." Haley (Millsap) Italia, LPGA Professional and former Ole Miss Rebel