North Carolina Wesleyan College Men's Golf

Mac Sykes enters his five season as Head Men's Golf Coach of the Battling Bishops. Sykes, a Conway, NC native and an NCWU alum, was a volunteer assistant for two seasons for the Battling Bishop Golf Team and filled in for Greg Ripke during the shortened spring season in 2020. “We are thrilled for Mac continuing to be a vital part of our staff,” said Denton. “He is an outstanding coach and contiunes to be a great asset to Wesleyan. The fact that he is a Wesleyan alum and part of our winning tradition as well as his work with previous teams and coach Ripke makes him special. Mac is one of the best I’ve seen at building and maintaining relationships with people and that serves our students and University very well.” "It is a tremendous honor as an alum to represent the University and program as the Head Golf Coach," commented Sykes. "I want to thank Gregg for his friendship and guidance over the years, as he left the program in great hands. Sykes also enjoyed working with the four golf alumnus that made it to the national tournament: Grady Anderson, Mariano Silvestri, Luke Thornton and Dustin Wood, as he had a great relationship with them all. Sykes is looking most forward to "practicing and working with the team on the range and course this season. I really enjoyed working with the student-athletes and it is what keeps me going". Sykes was a 1980 graduate of NC Wesleyan with a B.A. in History and was a 4 year letter winner for the Bishops. While as a Bishop, Mac was the MVP of the golf team in 1977 while also winning the Benny Goodrich Memorial Award and the Senior Award in 1980. Sykes was also named a 2x Dixie Conference All-Academic Team Member during his tenure with the Bishops. Mac’s family includes wife Tracy and two adult children including son, Cameron, and daughter, Rebecca.

Ripke was named North Carolina Wesleyan's head men's golf coach in June of 2010 and enters his seventh season with the Bishops. He brought five years of coaching experience with him to the program, having previously served as head golf coach at Rocky Mounts Falls Road Baptist Church School. While there, he led Falls Road to a 3rd-place finish in the State Tournament. Also active in the local golf community, Ripke has organized Falls Roads fundraising golf tournament for the past ten years and has assisted with the annual Gene Watson Memorial Golf Tournament that benefits the Transplant Endowment Fund at East Carolina University. Additionally, Ripke manages The Dog Fight golf league at nearby Hickory Meadows, a league that averages 18 weekly participants since he organized it over four years ago. To me, golf is a reflection of life, said Ripke, who is a low-handicap golfer himself. I enjoy the challenges that golf presents to the individual, and I hope to connect those challenges to real life situations involving integrity, self-motivation and hard work. Ripke heads up a promising NCWC golf program that has shown marked improvement under his direction. His first season saw him coach freshman Colby Lyles to USA South Rookie of Year honors, while from 2011 to 2014, he led his Bishops to three consecutive championship wins at the team's annual Don Scalf Invitational. The 2014 season also saw Ripke's squad crack the top-100 in late March and earn a #62 national ranking, the highest ranking in his tenure. Outside of his coaching duties, the Salisbury, N.C. native continues building upon his 20+ years of experience with AFLAC (American Family Life Assurance Company), a role that has made him no stranger to the Wesleyan community.