McNamara named women’s golf coach at MC; will also assist in basketball

Release Date: March 22, 2005

MONMOUTH, Ill. — Monmouth College announced Monday that Molly McNamara will take over the head coaching duties of the Fighting Scots’ women’s golf team. McNamara, a 2003 graduate of Monmouth, will also serve as assistant coach for the women’s basketball team.

“I’d say that excited doesn’t begin to describe how I feel,” said McNamara of her new responsibilities. “I was very proud to be the first four-year letterwinner in the history of the program, and now I’m really looking forward to coaching. We have a solid group of golfers already, and I think that with a few solid recruits, we’ll be able to move up. We want to compete well not only in the conference, but in our region, as well.”

Starting in the fall of 2006, the Midwest Conference team champion will automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament. As a result, the league is placing a higher emphasis on a split schedule for women’s golf, since the national tourney is played in the spring.

McNamara is also excited to join forces with recently named women’s basketball head coach Melissa Jones.

“My first love was basketball, and I started playing in third grade,” said McNamara, who grew up in nearby Alexis. “I was a three-year varsity player but, unfortunately, I stopped growing. I received a lot of good coaching at Alexis, and I look forward to passing that on to our student-athletes.”

“We’re really pleased to have someone that’s one of ours,” said athletic director Dr. Terry Glasgow of the coaching change. “With golf going to a split season, I’m pleased that we were able to find someone who can fill the immediate needs that come up on a regular basis. I look for Molly to do big things.”

Glasgow said that outgoing women’s golf coach Bill Pieper was involved in the decision, and Pieper agreed that since he is in Arizona for several months each year that McNamara would be a good choice. “Molly was the right person in the right place at the right time,” Glasgow said.

On the golf course, McNamara made that a habit. The Alexis High School graduate was a member of the first women’s team in 1999 and was a key part of Monmouth’s 2002 Midwest Conference champions. She earned All-MWC individual honors her final three seasons, capping her career with a third-place individual finish for Monmouth’s MWC champs.

McNamara, a former All-City women’s golf champion in Monmouth, currently holds two MC records: low 18-hole round at Gibson Woods (81) and low 36-hole score (86-81–167).

However, she wouldn’t mind if she’s able to recruit some golfers who erase her marks.

Women's Golf  |  Women's Basketball