William Peace University Men's Golf

Shields brings a winning pedigree and strong roots through the Tar Heel state which will both be crucial components in his efforts to successfully build the Pacers program from the ground up. In only the programs third season, Shields earned recognition as the USA Souths Coach of the Year in 2014-15, as WPU turned in a second place regular season finish after being picked to finish last in the preseason coachs poll. The Pacers posted a 13-13 overall record with a 9-5 mark in conference play behind a high-powered offense, which set single-season USA South records for three-pointers attempted (770) and made (251). His 2014-15 team yielded the programs first three All-Conference performers in its history (Shawn Shaffer, Chris Thomas, and Nate Stother), a Capitol One Academic All-District selection in Mike Wolf and seven players on the Academic All-Conference Team. Shaffer and Wolf were also named WPUs male Athlete of the year and Scholar-Athlete of the year, respectively. Shields and the Pacers opened their inaugural season in 2012-13 by earning a 77-74 win over Johnson and Wales in the Guilford College Invitational. They went on to finish with a 5-12 record and closed the year out on a high note with consecutive wins over Mid Atlantic Christian University and Pitt Community College.  In 2013-14, their first season as a member of the USA South Athletic Conference, the Pacers improved to 9-16 overall with a 3-11 record during conference play.  They notched the programs first win against a Division III opponent on January 4, 2014 as they took down Immaculata University, 85-77. They followed that up with their first-ever conference win on February 2 holding off Ferrum, 72-70.   Before coming to Peace, Shields began his coaching career at Guilford College as an assistant under veteran head coach,  Tom Palombo .  He was put at the helm of the Quakers junior varsity squad where he coached them to a .500 record and also helped recruit 17 student-athletes for the incoming class of 2011 which included the 2011-2012 ODAC Rookie of the Year and two time, All-ODAC performer. Shields has proven his ability to recruit student-athletes who are successful in the classroom as well with 20 USA South All-Academic selections in his first three seasons at William Peace.   Shields has also worked basketball camps at UNC, Elon, Davidson, Wake Forest, and Guilford College including the Hoop Mountain Showcase Events at Guilford in 2011 and 2012. In addition, he established his own Elite Camp at WPU in 2014-15. He is a 2010 graduate of the University of North Carolina where he played junior varsity basketball for the Tar Heels under assistant coach,  C.B. McGrath , and current UAB head coach,  Jerod Haase .  Haase led the Blazers to a Conference USA championship in 2014-15 before going on to upset the third-seeded Cyclones of Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Shields has previous ties to William Peace University through his mother, Virginia Lancaster 77, who played on the schools tennis team. He also played high school basketball in Kinston under WPU athletic director and womens basketball coach,  Kelly Johnson.  

Bunch enters his third season as an assistant coach with the William Peace University mens basketball team and has been here since November 2011 when the program first started the process of recruiting student-athletes. John has grown into an extremely valuable member of our staff, said head mens golf coach Claude Shields. His knowledge of Xs and Os on the court is very impressive for someone his age, and his ability to connect with our players is a huge asset as we continue to grow our program to new heights. Before graduating from North Carolina State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management, Bunch attended Greensboro Day School where he had the opportunity to play and seek tutelage from legendary coach Freddy Johnson. Bunch played in the 3A state championship game his junior year under Johnson and experienced first-hand what it takes to build a successful program during his time as a Bengal.  Jonson has 882 career wins holding the title of all-time winningest high school coach in the state of North Carolina.  He has seven state championships under his belt and has coached several all-star teams, including the 2013 McDonalds All-American East Team. In addition to being an assistant coach for the mens basketball program, Bunch also serves as an assistant coach for the Pacers golf team.   

Snyder enters his first year as WPU's Head Men's Golf Coach.  Following a five-year stint as the Golf Professional at Lochmere Golf Club (2011-2016), Snyder recently took over as the Golf and Teaching Professional of the Golf Academy at Wildwood Green Golf Club in Raleigh. With over 120 students currently enrolled, Snyder works with all ages, abilities and nationalities to include youth, high school and college players.  He also conducts camps and clinics for members and nonmembers at Wildwood Golf Club. Snyder has served as the Head Mens and Womens Golf Coach at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh since 2013. Both teams have made it to the Regional Championships three straight seasons with four combined trips to the State Championships, including three straight Individual 4A State Championship Titles on the womens side. Snyder was named the Southwest Wake Athletic Conferences (SWAC) Coach of the Year in 2015 after his women went undefeated during the regular season, took home the trophy in the SWAC Conference Tournament and finished runner-up at the Regional Championships. Snyder worked as an outside staff member at the Governors Country Club in Chapel Hill from 2010 to 2012. He also served as a coach and instructor at the TGA of Wake County from 2011 to 2014, where he worked with children grades K-8 for the National Golf Enrichment Program, which was taught as an after school program throughout western Wake County. Snyder has also been enrolled in the PGA Professional Golf Management Apprentice Program since 2012 and passed his Playing Ability Test in 2014. In addition, Snyder is a retired United States Air Force Sergeant, where he stared in the combat communications field in 1983 as a micro-wave communications technician. At the completion of active duty, he joined the Georgia National Guard as a microwave/satellite communications technician and supervisor. In 1995, Snyder made the move to North Carolina and joined the North Carolina Air National Guard before retiring in 2006 after 21.5 years of service. Snyder served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. On a personal note, Snyder has been married to his college sweetheart (Sonya) for 33 years in November. They have two daughters (Lauren & Lindsey) who are both teachers in the Wake County school system. To learn more about Coach Snyder, you can also visit his website: http://davegripandripsnyder.com.  Dave Snyder Head Men's Golf Coach Hired in August 2016, Dave Snyder enters his first year as WPU's Head Men's Golf Coach.  Following a five-year stint as the Golf Professional at Lochmere Golf Club (2011-2016), Snyder recently took over as the Golf and Teaching Professional of the Golf Academy at Wildwood Green Golf Club in Raleigh. With over 120 students currently enrolled, Snyder works with all ages, abilities and nationalities to include youth, high school and college players.  He also conducts camps and clinics for members and nonmembers at Wildwood Golf Club. Snyder has served as the Head Mens and Womens Golf Coach at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh since 2013. Both teams have made it to the Regional Championships three straight seasons with four combined trips to the State Championships, including three straight Individual 4A State Championship Titles on the womens side. Snyder was named the Southwest Wake Athletic Conferences (SWAC) Coach of the Year in 2015 after his women went undefeated during the regular season, took home the trophy in the SWAC Conference Tournament and finished runner-up at the Regional Championships. Snyder worked as an outside staff member at the Governors Country Club in Chapel Hill from 2010 to 2012. He also served as a coach and instructor at the TGA of Wake County from 2011 to 2014, where he worked with children grades K-8 for the National Golf Enrichment Program, which was taught as an after school program throughout western Wake County. Snyder has also been enrolled in the PGA Professional Golf Management Apprentice Program since 2012 and passed his Playing Ability Test in 2014. In addition, Snyder is a retired United States Air Force Sergeant, where he stared in the combat communications field in 1983 as a micro-wave communications technician. At the completion of active duty, he joined the Georgia National Guard as a microwave/satellite communications technician and supervisor. In 1995, Snyder made the move to North Carolina and joined the North Carolina Air National Guard before retiring in 2006 after 21.5 years of service. Snyder served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. On a personal note, Snyder has been married to his college sweetheart (Sonya) for 33 years in November. They have two daughters (Lauren & Lindsey) who are both teachers in the Wake County school system. To learn more about Coach Snyder, you can also visit his website: http://davegripandripsnyder.com.