Simms Named Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year
FULL RELEASE
Head coach
Bob Simms of the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College men's golf team has been named the Division III Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) for the second consecutive year and sixth time overall. Simms had been selected as a finalist for the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award, which was bestowed upon Oglethorpe's Jim Owen.
Simms led the No. 7 Cardinals to one of their most successful seasons on record as Fisher finished the NCAA Division III Championship in a tie for sixth-place, marking the third year in a row that the Cardinals earned a top-ten finish in the national tournament.
A nine-time Coach of the Year recipient in the Empire 8, Simms guided Fisher to its fourth-straight conference crown and ninth in the last 10 seasons. Under Simms' tutelage, the Cardinals won four tournaments this year, while pacing second twice to go along with three third place finishes including the Jekyll Island Collegiate Invitational, which featured numerous nationally-ranked programs.
Now in his 14th year at the helm of the golf program, Simms oversaw the development of
Chris Blyth,
Ryan McGinnis and
Thad Wier, all of whom were named All-American by the GCAA and Ping earlier this month. The program also placed five players on the Ping All-Region Team, with two players earning a spot on the All-America Scholar Team.
Simms is no stranger to the limelight, having been named National Coach of the Year in 2007-08 after leading the Cardinals to a third place finish in the NCAA Championship with Scott Harris Jr. taking the top-spot in the individual standings.