Published: 08/10/2021
Dustin Coleman
Gannon's Dustin Coleman has been named NCAA Division II Men's Golf Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) in conjunction with Golf Pride Grips.
Coleman previously earned the first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Coach of the Year award in program history after guiding Gannon to one of its best seasons ever in 2020-21.
The Golden Knights had high expectations coming into the season with an experienced roster. The squad started out strong, finishing second at the Malone-Glenmoor Invitational and fifth against a strong field at the Doc Spragg Fall Invitational, which wrapped up the fall-semester competition.
A one-stroke victory at the Browngolf Intercollegiate in North Carolina kick-started the spring, before Gannon turned in top-three finishes at the Cottrell Invitational and Mercyhurst Spring Invitational.
Gannon's regular-season play earned the Golden Knights the top seed at the NCAA Division II Atlantic/East Regional at Lake View Country Club. Playing up to their seed, the Golden Knights posted a 9-over-297 during the first day. The squad overcame a two-stroke deficit during the final day to jump past St. Thomas Aquinas en route to their first-ever NCAA regional championship.
In their first appearance as a team at the NCAA National Championships, the Golden Knights came out strong and threatened for a spot in the medal rounds before ultimately finishing 10th in the nation.