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Finalists Named for Jan Strickland Award presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf

 Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Finalists Named for Jan Strickland Award presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf
UNLV?s Bischel, Texas A&M?s Gougenheim and Duke?s Sparling candidates for coaching award


NORMAN, Okla. ?  Andy Bischel from UNLV, Texas A&M?s Chris Gougenheim and Brad Sparling of Duke have been named finalists for the 2007 Jan Strickland Assistant Coach of the Year Award presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf announced the Golf Coaches Association of America.  
        
Bischel is in his ninth season at UNLV. Among his coaching duties, Bischel organizes weekly team qualifying, short game and putting practice, as well as coordinate team travel and tournament scheduling. He serves as UNLV?s recruiting coordinator and was involved in the process of signing seven junior All-Americans. Bischel is also the golf program?s academic advisor. Under his direction the team garnered the highest fall GPA of any UNLV men?s athletic program. Additionally, he serves as director of the Rebel Golf Foundation.
        
Gougenheim has been an assistant at Texas A&M the past five seasons. He handles the day-to-day operations of the Aggie golf program, as well as, equipment and clothing purchases and travel arrangements. Gougenheim?s efforts in recruiting have helped Texas A&M sign an AJGA first-team All-American in each of the last three seasons. Texas A&M recorded its highest finish at the Big 12 Championship in 2007. Gougenheim serves as the executive director of The Aggie Golf Association.
        
In his second year as associate head coach at Duke, Sparling has served as interim head coach since January. Sparling - who already oversaw much of the day-to-day duties of the Duke golf program - was given the unenviable task of heading the men?s golf team during the declining health and eventual passing of longtime coach Rod Myers. During this difficult time, Duke has maintained its place in the top 25 and has seven student-athletes on track to make the ACC Honor Roll this year, which would be a team record.
        
The Strickland Assistant Coach of the Year Award presented by TaylorMade-adidas Golf is given to the NCAA Division I, II, III or NAIA assistant coach that, among other things, has excelled in working with their student-athletes both on the course and in the classroom.  The recipient of this award will have the opportunity to further their professional development by being a guest of TaylorMade-adidas Golf at the PGA Teaching and Coaching Summit as well as an invitation to the TaylorMade-adidas Golf Kingdom in Carlsbad, Calif. TaylorMade-adidas has sponsored the award since its inception in 2003.