Stacy Snider became only the second head coach of the Western Michigan women's golf program since the program's inception in 1998-99 when she was announced in June of 2014.
2014-15:
Western Michigan made significant and immediate strides in Snider's first year overseeing the program, posting its second-lowest stroke average in school history (308.85).
The Broncos began the fall with their best ever finish at the Michigan State Mary Fossum Invitational and then stormed from four back in the final round of the Cardinal Classic to force a full-team playoff a week later. WMU junior Chloe Lawrie took home her first career individual title at the Cardinal Classic after finishing one-over par (72-73--145). For the performance, she was selected as the MAC Golfer of the Week.
WMU then made a good run in the first round before carding a respectable seventh-place finish at the highly competitive Nittany Lion Classic, finishing second among MAC teams competing. The Broncos closed out the fall with a runner-up finish at Toledo’s Rocket Classic. WMU sophomore Kaitlyn Watkins shot a team season-best and career round of one-under 71 in the final round (72-75-71) and was tied for first place at the end of regulation play before falling in a three-hole playoff. The Broncos placed two golfers in the top five at the classic and five in the top 15.
During the fall season, Western Michigan shot two rounds under 300, its best a 296 at the Cardinal Classic. It was the program’s first round under 300 since the 2010 season and the Broncos’ overall total of 598 was its fourth-best 36-hole score in school history.
The Broncos carded yet another round under 300 in the spring, shooting a 298 during a fifth-place finish at the Gary Crossley Ford Shootout. WMU followed with another top-five performance at the Dolores Black Falcon Invitational, placing third. Western Michigan closed out the season with two golfers, Anna Wilcoxson and Julia Champion tying for 11th at the 2015 MAC Championship.
At the conclusion of the season, Watkins was named Second Team All-MAC. Both Watkins and Wilcoxson were also named Academic All-MAC.
Prior to WMU:
A Grand Rapids, Mich., native, Snider arrived to Western Michigan after spending the past two seasons at the helm of the University of Louisiana-Monroe women’s golf program where she led the Warhawks to four tournament wins in 2014, five over all, which included the ULM Fred Marx Invitational, the Arkansas State Tournament, the Steelwood Preview and the Le Triomphe. ULM also earned runner-up at the UAB Fall Beach Blast and the HBU Women’s Intercollegiate.
Under Snider’s tutelage, ULM women’s golf earned its highest finish in the Sun Belt Conference championships since joining the league in 2006. Snider’s teams have also excelled in the classroom as the Warhawks posted an APR in the top-10 percentile of women’s golf programs nationally, announced by the NCAA. They went on to earn a Public Recognition Award in 2014 from the NCAA for their academic achievements.
Snider guided Alison Knowles to SBC Women’s Golfer of the Year honors and four SBC Golfer of the Month accolades after winning four of 11 tournaments in 2013-14. She also won Warhawk of the Week honors three times. Knowles went on to become one of just 378 participants chosen nationally to compete at NCAA Regional Championships.
Snider has a combined eight years of experience as a professional golfer, teaching professional and coach. Prior to coaching at Louisiana-Monroe, Snider was the teaching pro at the Golf Club at Thornapple Point in Grand Rapids, Mich., following a two year stint as the volunteer assistant golf coach for her alma mater Michigan State. Snider graduated from MSU in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Family Community Ecology with a focus on Youth Emphasis.
Snider turned professional after a successful career as a Spartan where she was a four-year letterwinner. The two-time All-Big Ten selection from 2001-02 won two events during her final two seasons as a Spartan, and she is tied for 12th for the program’s low 72-hole record following her 295 (79-73-73-70) performance at the 2002 NCAA Championships. She played in all 51 events during her career from 1998-2002.
From 2004-06 Snider competed professionally on the Duramed Futures and LPGA Tours,
including a non-exempt status with the LPGA from 2004-05. She is the only woman to ever win the Michigan PGA Tournament of Champions, which was just her second-ever professional start.
Following her stint on the Futures and LPGA Tours, she became a club pro at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Mich., as the Assistant Golf Professional. She was also a teaching professional at SD Golf & Fitness LLC. located in Wyoming, Mich.
What people are saying about Coach Snider:
“Stacy did an outstanding job with our women’s golf program. Our program has been raised to a new level. Stacy will do a great job at Western Michigan.” - Brian Wickstrom, University of Louisiana-Monroe Director of Athletics
“This is a great opportunity for Stacy to come back to her home state where she knows the territory and can build her own program. She has excelled at all levels of the game. She was a great college player here at Michigan State, played on the LPGA Tour, and did a very nice job in her first head coaching position at Louisiana-Monroe. She really got the program back on its feet and had her best player (Alison Knowles) qualify for the NCAA Regional tournament this year, which definitely makes a statement about her coaching ability and where that team was headed. I believe she has all of the necessary tools to help the Broncos maintain success on the course and in the classroom.” - Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll, Michigan State Head Women’s Golf Coach
