University of Sioux Falls Men's Golf

Bennett coached Tavia Rutherford to NSIC Women's Golfer of the Year honors and the men's team to a surging comeback to place second at the NSIC Championship.  Working with Rutherford for two years, Bennett helped the Bakersfield, Calif. native to a pair of first team All-NSIC appointments, including NSIC Golfer of the Year honors in 2014-15. Bennett led Rutherford to a Super Region 3 Championship appearance where she placed fifth and earned a trip to the NCAA Championship, the first NCAA postseason appearance for a non-track & field/cross country athlete or team. After earning the NCAA Elite 89 Award for the highest GPA of any competitor at the NCAA Championship, Rutherford placed 37th at the national championship tournament. As a team, the 2014-15 USF Women's Golf team placed seventh at the NSIC Championship.  The 2014-15 USF Men's Golf season didn't produce the individual accolades like the women's squad produced, but Bennett led the men's team to the highest conference finish in Division II history, narrowly missing their first NCAA postseason berth. Bennett's squad surged up the team leaderboard after the first two rounds in the fall placed them in eighth. At the conclusion of the tournament, USF climbed up six places to finish second, missing out on the NSIC Championship and an automatic NCAA Regional berth by two strokes. Senior Talon Eich led the charge with a tournament-low 69 in the third round and two more Cougars, Derek Dillon and Jon Van't Hul, finished tied for 10th overall.  In his first season, Bennett guided the 2013-14 USF Women's Golf team to an eighth-place finish at the NSIC Championships and Rutherford nabbed All-NSIC honors. On the men's side, Bennett led a young team in 2013-14 to finish 10th with Dillon finishing a team-high 17th.  Prior to USF, Bennett spent time working at Westward Ho Country Club and Todd kolb Golf Academy in Sioux Falls. He completed a three-year PGA apprenticeship at the Tonto Verde Golf Club in Rio Verde, Ariz.   A 2009 graduate of the University of South Dakota, Bennett was a four-year letterwinner for the Coyotes. In his senior season, he earned All-Great West Conference second team honors and was named GWC Golfer of the Week. Bennett also collected North Central Conference All-Tournament team hnoors as a sophomore at USD.   © 2016 Sioux Falls Athletic |

Wade Merry is in his fifth season as the head coach of the University of Sioux Falls men's and women's golf teams. A respected figure in South Dakota golf, Merry brings decades of experience and leadership to the Cougar program. From 2005 to 2018, Merry served as the Executive Director of the South Dakota Golf Association (SDGA) and the South Dakota Junior Golf Foundation, a tenure marked by unprecedented growth in the state's golf landscape. Under his leadership, the SDGA: Expanded its slate of state championships Developed the Junior Golf Tour Established The First Tee of South Dakota, providing youth access to the game Launched the Great Plains Golf Expo, the only golf show in the country solely owned and operated by a state golf association Created a permanent home for the South Dakota Golf Hall of Fame For his contributions to the game, Merry was inducted into the South Dakota Golf Hall of Fame in 2019. A 1979 graduate of Dakota State University, Merry was a three-sport athlete, competing in golf, tennis, and baseball. As a member of the 1977 DSU tennis team, he helped lead the Trojans to an undefeated season and the school’s first conference championship. That team was later inducted into the Dakota State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016. USF Coaching Achievements 9× tournament championships 8× individual titles 9× NSIC Golfer of the Week honorees 7× All-NSIC selections 2 NCAA Central Region Championship qualifier 27× NSIC All-Academic Team members 23× NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence honorees 13× Division II ADA Academic Achievement recipients 1× NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award winner 8× Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars Top-10 ranking in NCAA Division II for the WGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Award Beyond golf, Merry is a proud father of two. His son, Benjamin, is an attorneyand Vice President of Benefits Compliance at NFP, an AON company in Washington, D.C., and his daughter, Alexandra, is the Senior Director of Social Media for the Kansas City Chiefs and resides in Roeland Park, Kan. Updated: 8/2025

JJ Cooney is in his fifth season as an assistant coach for the University of Sioux Falls Men's & Women’s Golf teams. A proud USF alumnus, Cooney competed for the Cougars from 2016 to 2021, building a highly decorated collegiate career. Cooney earned both his Bachelor’s in Business Administration and Entrepreneurial Studies and his Master of Business Administration from USF. On the course, he played a key role in elevating the program, securing one individual title, four team titles, and leading the Cougars to their first-ever NCAA DII Regional Championship bid. Career Achievements Five-year team scoring average leader Miles Brand Academic Achievement Award recipient USF Male Student-Athlete of the Year Two-time NSIC Scholar-Athlete CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American USF Records & Accomplishments 3× NSIC All-Conference selection 5× tournament champion 5× individual title winner 8× NSIC Men’s Golfer of the Week 4× NSIC Myles Brand Award recipient Cooney continues to bring his experience and passion for the game to USF Golf, mentoring the next generation of Cougar student-athletes. Updated 5/2025