Ohio University Women's Golf

Ovington was named head women's golf coach at Ohio University on July 10, 2008. Ovington's first season with the Bobcats featured a number of on-course successes, as Ohio posted four top-10 finishes and a pair of top-five showings. Under her guidance, the Green & White also recorded a team stroke average of 322.89 that ranks as the seventh-best in program history. Ovington's influence was also felt away from the course in her first year with the Bobcats, as four Ohio players earned NGCA All-American Scholar honors and the team posted a 3.740 grade-point average, the fifth-best in the nation. Since her first year, things have only gotten better for Ohio Women's Golf. The Bobcats have finished in the top seven at the last three consecutive Mid-American Conference Championships in addition to picking up some very impressive academic accolades. Four Bobcat golfers earned All-America scholar honors following the 2009 season and three student-athletes were named to the Academic All-MAC team in 2011. Arguably the most impressive achievements of all come in the form of total team grade-point-averages. The 2009 Women's Golf team had the fifth-best GPA in the nation; the 2010 squad compiled the 18th-best GPA in the country and the 2011 team took the top spot, combining for the best GPA (3.83) in all of Division I NCAA Golf. The 2011-12 season was one to remember for Ovington and the Bobcats, as the squad posted three top-five finishes highlighted by a third-place result at the 2012 Falcon Invitational in Bowling Green. The result was Ohio's best team finish since 2010 and saw senior leader Megan Weaver place second in the field of 75 golfers. Ovington continued the program on its course of strong academic tradition, as her student-athletes combined for one Scholar-Athlete of the Week award, two spots on the 2012 Academic All-MAC Team and three Academic All-MAC Honorable Mentions. Megan Weaver was also recognized for her strong play and character throughout the season, being named MAC Sportswoman of the Year at the conference championships, during which the Bobcats finished seventh. Ovington arrived in Athens following more than a year as head professional at Golf Galaxy in Columbus, Ohio. In an organization that provides golfers with pro shop services in an interactive environment, Ovington was charged with establishing and maintaining standards relating to lessons, fittings, sales and expenses. The Cincinnati native also spent more than a year as head pro at Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club in Powell, Ohio, where she played an integral role in opening facility. Kinsale features a state-of-the-art fitness and spa facility, and takes pride in incorporating fitness into a golfer's game. Ovington also has more than 10 years of experience as an assistant pro at various clubs around the state, earning a nomination as Southern Ohio PGA Assistant of the Year in 2002. After completing her college career at Michigan State in 1992, Ovington assumed head coaching duties with the University of Cincinnati women's golf team in September of 1993. She guided the Bearcats to the first national and regional rankings in school history, as well as five tournament titles, in five seasons at the helm of the UC program. During her tenure, Ovington also served as a program coordinator for the LPGA Girls Golf Schools, a program designed to get young girls involved in golf, in the Cincinnati area. A four-year member of the Michigan State women's golf team (1988-92), Ovington was honored with the team spirit award as a senior. She graduated from MSU in 1992 with a BA in telecommunications.

Cooley, a Bobcat golfer from 1968-71 and the head coach of the men's program since 1988, was promoted to Director of Golf in Sept. 2002, assuming administrative and coaching duties for both the men's and women's teams at Ohio. His day-to-day coaching responsibilities remain with the men's squad. Under Cooley's guidance, the Bobcat men have shown a resurgence over the better part of the last decade. In 1999-00, Ohio posted six top-five finishes, while placing in the top half of the field in nine of its 12 tournaments. That success continued in 2001-02, as Erik Herberth enjoyed one of the best seasons in school history, winning two tournaments during the fall and receiving a bid to the NCAA Central Regional as an individual. At the 2002 Mid-American Conference Championship, Herberth placed seventh and Jeff Chadwell led the Bobcats with a fourth-place finish as Ohio took runner-up honors, the team's best performance since winning the league title in 1980. Cooley was named MAC Coach of the Year for his efforts, while Herberth took home first-team All-MAC honors. With three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior, Cooley guided the 2003-04 men's squad to another second-place finish at the MAC Championship. Ohio entered the final round only one stroke off the lead, and had a different freshman post the team's lowest score in each of the tournament's three rounds. Led by that same trio, now sophomores, the Bobcats produced five top-five performances in 2004-05. Ryan Siekmann earned second-team All-MAC honors after finishing with a 73.96 scoring average, the fourth-best in program history at the time. Cooley protege Mark Cimarolli topped that mark with a 73.69 average in 2005-06, capturing the individual medal at the BIG EAST/MAC Challenge along the way. His play landed him on the All-MAC second team that season. Led by second-team All-MAC selection Chad Warmbein, the 2008-09 Bobcats won the season-opening Piper Intercollegiate by a half dozen strokes and took fourth at the MAC Championship in Indianapolis with a total of 1,183 - the third-best 72-hole score in program history. Ohio had three players earn MAC Golfer of the Week honors during the campaign, including freshman John Mlynarski, who tied for first at the Piper before falling in a playoff for the individual medal. Cooley's Bobcat men have excelled in the classroom, as well. Under his direction, 10 Ohio men have been named GCAA All-America Scholars. Additionally, Academic Progress Rate (APR) data released in 2008 showed that the Ohio men's golf team posted a 997 APR (out of 1,000) in the four academic years from 2003-04 to 2006-07 - a figure that ranks in the top 10 percent of all Division I athletic teams and stands more than 30 points above the Division I men's golf average. The men's program at Ohio took fifth place at the 2009-10 MAC Championships and followed this up with a ninth-place result at the 2010-11 Championships. Ohio turned in its best MAC finish in eight years during the 2011-12 season, finishing in third place with a three-round score of 896. Cooley's senior leader, Paul Grauer, was named Second Team All-MAC following his tremendous season. Before assuming head coaching duties with the Ohio men, Cooley assisted former head coach Kermit Blosser, many times traveling with the team. While playing for the Bobcats, he was a member of two MAC championship teams. Along with being familiar with Bobcat golf, Cooley is no stranger to the Athens area. He graduated from Athens High School in 1966 and enrolled at Ohio University to pursue a bachelor's degree in business administration. After graduating in 1971, Cooley served as an assistant golf professional at Village Country Club in Uniontown, Ohio. His next endeavor took him to the Candian professional tour in 1973, where he competed in nine tournaments. In 1977, Cooley was reinstated to the amateur ranks by the United States Golf Association. He played in the 1978 and 1980 U.S. Amateur Championships in Plainfield, N.J., and Pinehurst, N.C., respectively. He is married to former Nannette Borkowski of Westlake, Ohio, and the couple has a daughter, Brynn.