Mercyhurst University Women's Golf

Coleman, a native of Erie, Pa., has been the Mercyhurst head Womens and Mens golf coach at Mercyhurst University for the past four seasons.  Under Coleman's leadership, the golf teams have steadily improved in the PSAC. In 2015, Chris Kupneiwski was named to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) first-team and Blaze Hogan was named All-PSAC second-team. Coleman, a 1979 alumnus of Mercyhurst, brings a tremendous amount of experience, as he previously coached for nearly 20 years at the high school level.  He began coaching in 1989 for Villa Maria Academy, where he developed the first male golf team as Villa Maria was developing into a co-ed high school. He then coached the Lakers of Mercyhurst Prep from 1993 to 1996, where he posted a record of 22-19. A majority of Coleman's time in coaching occurred at Cathedral Prep High School, where he coached the Ramblers from 1997 to 2004, and then again in 2006 and 2007. He developed Cathedral Prep into one of the state's top programs and was in charge of organizing practices, tournaments, community outreach programs, fundraising activities, and player development. He finished his career with the Ramblers by posting a 201-9 overall record, including winning 29 of 56 team tournaments and having 18 individual tournament champions. While at Prep, he had one PIAA individual champion and his team finished as the PIAA runners-up twice. After spending most of his life playing baseball, Coleman turned to a career of golf, and has become one of the area's top athletes in the sport. In 2012, Coleman won a record eighth Erie District Golf Association (EDGA) individual title (five in match play and three in stroke play). That same year, he also played on his seventh WPGA Palmer Cup team. He holds 23 individual amateur titles and was inducted into the Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. He also holds the record by winning five consecutive EDGA titles, including three majors, and also won three straight WPGA Public Links Championships from 2007 to 2009. He was a USGA Public Links qualifier in both 2001 and 2007. Previously, Coleman was a juvenile counselor clinician for 33 years at the Edmund L. Thomas Adolescent Center - a position he had held since 1979. His primary responsibility was to provide care, supervision, and security for the adolescents and children who reside at the center. Following retirement, Coleman was hired as the Director of Golf at Mercyhurst and became a Professional Golfer Association (PGA) Professional. He has entered the PGA PGM Program and has played in various professional tournaments since. Coleman resides in Erie with his wife, Michelle (Jeffreys) Coleman. They have three children - Katie, Kara, and Dustin, and three grandchildren Nolan, Clara and Henry.  Ron Coleman, a native of Erie, Pa., has been the Mercyhurst head Womens and Mens golf coach at Mercyhurst University for the past four seasons.  Under Coleman's leadership, the golf teams have steadily improved in the PSAC. In 2015, Chris Kupneiwski was named to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) first-team and Blaze Hogan was named All-PSAC second-team.

An Erie native with a lifelong passion for the game, Tara Grassi-Friedman brings deep roots in golf and community leadership to her new role as head coach of Mercyhurst women's golf. Raised in a family of PGA professionals, she was introduced early to competitive golf through her grandfather and father's leadership of the Greater Erie Charity Golf Classic. Grassi-Friedman competed at Villa Maria Academy and continued her collegiate golf career in the CVAC at Longwood College. She later earned a degree in Human Development and Family Studies from Penn State World Campus, where she developed a strong foundation in student support, motivation, and personal growth—principles that now shape her coaching philosophy. Grassi-Friedman most recently served as head coach of the Cathedral Prep women's golf team and currently works as Director of Community and Corporate Relations in the University Advancement office at Mercyhurst, where she builds strategic partnerships to strengthen the university's mission and impact.