Tulsa Names Trelle McCombs Head Women's Golf Coach
7/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
July 14, 2006
Tulsa, Oklahoma - Trelle McCombs was named women's golf coach at The University of Tulsa today, it was announced by Bubba Cunningham, TU's director of athletics.
McCombs, 30, brings to Tulsa seven years of head coaching experience on the Division I level. She has spent the past three years (2003-06) as the head coach at Augusta State (Ga.) University, and before that coached the men's and women's teams at Mercer University for four years (1999-2003).
This past year, McCombs led ASU to the school's first-ever NCAA Regional and National Tournament appearances. In her three seasons, she has seen her team climb in the Golfstat national rankings, 104 spots to a school-best ranking of 32nd at the close of the 2006 campaign. ASU completed just its fifth season of women's golf as an intercollegiate sport.
She led her 2006 squad to six team titles, while her players garnered five individual medalist crowns. In the 2004-05 campaign, McCombs had the nation's second-ranked freshman class, according to the Golfstat rankings for freshman class impact.
At Mercer, she was involved in every aspect of the program, including practice preparation, budget planning, recruiting, fund-raising and monitoring academic progress. McCombs' men's and women's teams boasted a 100 percent graduation rate and 13 academic all-conference honorees along with two all-league selections. During her tenure, the men's program improved over 150 spots in the Golfstat collegiate rankings.
"I'm extremely excited about this opportunity," said McCombs. "Tulsa golf has had such a great tradition, and it's obvious that there are wonderful public and private courses and a community that loves golf. Coaching at Augusta State was a great experience for me, and I'm so grateful to the University administration and athletic department for all of their support over the past three years."
"I'm honored to be coaching at a program that Dale McNamara has made into a powerhouse of collegiate golf. Her vision and dedication made Tulsa golf synonymous with the great dynasties of college athletics," McCombs said. "Four national championships, five times as the national runners-up, over 40 All-Americans, 30 professional golfers, 10 conference titles in just 13 years in a league, it's evident that Tulsa has been among the elite of college golf.
"I can see why the likes of Nancy Lopez, Jody Rosenthal, Kelly Robbins and Stacy Prammanasudh wanted to play for such a great coach and university. I will work diligently to improve our standing to consistently rank as one of the top women's teams in the country," added McCombs.
In addition to her coaching duties, McCombs served on the Forest Hills Golf Course Management Committee and the Board of Directors of the Greater Augusta Sports Council, has been tournament director for the Atlanta Junior Golf Association and founded the Josh Gregory/Trelle McCombs Junior Golf Camp and initiated and coordinated the ASU Jr. Golf Clinic in conjunction with the Lady Jaguar Invitational.
"The accomplishments that Augusta State's women's golf program has reached in three years under Trelle's leadership is impressive," said Cunningham. "It became evident to us during the search process that Trelle possessed the characteristics we were looking for in a head coach, and the determination and work ethic to lead this golf program."
An accomplished player in her own right, McCombs posted a top-10 finish in the Georgia Women's Open in 1996 as an amateur, then matched that feat again in 2002 as a professional. She tied for 11th in the 2004 Yamaha Georgia Women's Open. McCombs also qualified for the 1998 U.S. Women's Amateur, participated in the 2002 Future's Tour Qualifying School and was a member of the Mid-Florida Golf Tour.
McCombs is a 1998 graduate of Georgia State with a B.S. in exercise physiology. She was a two-year team captain and winner of two collegiate tournaments, while earning academic all-conference honors in her four seasons.
A native of Macon, Georgia, McCombs and her husband, John, were married in 2004.
