Alabama Head Coach Mic Potter Named 2018 WGCA National Coach of the Year
Alabama women’s golf coach Mic Potter was named the 2018 Golf Pride Grips Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Coach of the Year, the organization announced Wednesday morning.
“I want to thank the Women’s Golf Coaches Association for this recognition,” Potter said. “I know there are some great coaches out there who have had fantastic seasons and deserve this award as much as I do.
“I would also like to thank The University of Alabama, our director of athletics, Greg Byrne, and our sport administrator, Kevin Almond, for giving me the opportunity to do what I love every day. I also want to give a special thank you to our assistant coach, Susan Rosenstiel. She is the best in the business and makes my job easy.
The honor is the second for Potter, who was previously recognized as the WGCA Coach of the Year following the Crimson Tide’s national championship season in 2012.
“What a tremendous honor for a tremendous coach,” Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne said. “We are so proud of Mic and the job that he has done, not only this year, but over the course of his entire career. Everything he does is with integrity and class, and we certainly appreciate the way he represents The University of Alabama.”
Potter, who completed his 13th season with the Crimson Tide in May, led Alabama to a runner-up finish at the 2018 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships. The NCAA trip was the 13th in a row for UA during his tenure and the finish was the 10th-straight in the top 15 at the national championships.
Alabama, which was ranked No. 1 throughout the majority of the season, finished in the top two in 10 of 11 tournaments this season and secured four team victories – the Schooner Fall Classic, Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic and the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. Additionally, the Tide also set school records for scoring average (283.55) and score vs. par (-3.36) this season.
“Great players make coaches look good,” Potter added. “I would not have been honored in this way if we didn’t have a team full of great players, and even better students, that make it a pleasure for me to come to work every day.”
Individually, junior Lauren Stephenson earned the Golfstat Cup as the nation’s low scorer after finishing the season with a school record scoring average of 69.76. Stephenson, junior Cheyenne Knight and sophomore Kristen Gillman earned WGCA All-America honors this year, giving the Tide three First Team All-Americans in the same season for just the second time in school history.