Northwest Missouri State golf coach Pat McLaughlin announced his retirement on Thursday morning. McLaughlin has been with the Bearcat golf program since its inception in 2006.
“As I retire from the coaching ranks, I want to give a sincere ‘thanks’ for the honor and privilege of being the inaugural head coach of the Bearcat women’s golf team,” said McLaughlin. “I want to thank the athletic department, our Northwest family and the community as a whole for their support, not only of our golf team, but also for me individually. Best wishes to the team and their continued future success!”
During his nine seasons with the Bearcats, McLaughlin has coached Northwest to 57 total top-five finishes, including 16 tournament victories and 16 runner-upfinishes. Northwest finished in the top-five in 81.4 percent of the 70 tournaments he coached in. In addition, the Bearcats finished in the Central Region top 12 the past two seasons and were in the top five of the MIAA standings every year under McLaughlin.
He was named the 2012 MIAA Coach of the Year and has led the Bearcats to three consecutive top-three finishes at the MIAA Championships. Cassie Lowell andSteph Charteris were each named the MIAA Freshman of the Year and both advanced to NCAA Championship play during their careers at Northwest. In 2012, Lowell was named the MIAA Player of the Year. In addition to strong play on the course, the Bearcats have also earned 13 NGCA academics awards since 2010.
“We appreciate coach McLaughlin’s commitment to Northwest women’s golf,” said Northwest Director of Athletics Mel Tjeerdsma. “He started our program nine years ago, culminating this season with a third place finish in the MIAA. He has consistently recruited young women who were outstanding golfers as well as first-class student-athletes. Thanks to coach McLaughlin efforts, we are pleased with where our women’s golf program is today and we look forward to watching their progress as they remain a consistent contender for the MIAA title.”
— Northwest Sports Information —