Finalists Announced for 2023 NCAA Division III Dave Williams Coach of the Year Award presented by Golf Pride Grips

NORMAN, Okla. – NCAA Division III finalists for the 2023 Dave Williams Award presented by Golf Pride Grips have been announced by the GCAA. The Williams Award honors the national coach of the year in NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, NJCAA Division I, and NJCAA Division II men’s golf.

The five finalists are Evan Drew of RPI, Mitchell Fedorka of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Jim Ott of Illinois Wesleyan, Dan Rodgers of Carnegie Mellon, and John Sjoberg of Emory.

Drew led the Engineers to seven tournament wins, including all four in the fall and the Liberty League Championship, in his second year at the helm. RPI was a top-20 ranked team throughout the season and received their second-ever team bid to the NCAA Championship. The Engineers were paced on the course by four PING All-Region golfers. 

Fedorka and assistant coach Alec Spencer were named the SCIAC Men's Golf Coaching Staff of the Year after leading Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to top-six finishes in all eight tournaments this season. The Stags won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship and were led on the course by four PING All-Region golfers. 

Ott, the nine-time Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) Coach of the Year, led Illinois Wesleyan seven tournament wins this season, including their 11th-straight CCIW Championship. The Titans were led on the course by four PING All-Region golfers, including the CCIW’s Elite 26 Award winner Quinn Clifford. 

Carnegie Mellon won two tournaments, the University Athletic Association (UAA) Match Play Championship and Western Pennsylvania Intercollegiate, and recorded top-six finishes in all nine tournaments under Rodgers this season. The Tartans were led on the course by five PING All-Region golfers, including UAA Rookie of the Year David Zhang. 

Sjoberg led Emory to six victories, including in the Golfweek DIII Invitational, and top-six finishes in all 11 tournaments this season. The Eagles were atop the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll throughout much of 2022-23 and carded four PING All-Region golfers, including UAA Player of the Year Michael Burry.

All five finalists are coaching this week at the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Golf  Championship at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

About Golf Pride Grips

For over seven decades, Golf Pride® has been the global leader in golf grip innovation and technology, from the invention of the slip-on grip to groundbreaking advancements in cord with their new Brushed Cotton Technology (BCT®) to the introduction of the hybrid category of grips. Today, Golf Pride® has laid claim to more major wins than any other grip company. More than 80% of Tour professionals choose to play their grips and not one is paid to do so. And in this age of multi-million dollar endorsement deals, that’s the strongest endorsement of all. Whether you’re a Tour pro playing a major, a rising amateur, or an everyday golfer, you can rest assured knowing you’re playing the #1 Grip in Golf. To learn more about Golf Pride®, go to golfpride.com.