Ripon College Director of Athletics Bob Gillespie announced that local golf professional Bill Peters will take over the Red Hawk women's golf program beginning with the 2005 season.

Peters, the pro at Tuscumbia Golf Course in Green Lake, Wis., takes over for Julie Johnson who was given additional academic responsibilities at the college.

"Bill had expressed some interest in our golf programs and when this opening became available, he was the first one we talked to," said Gillespie." Bill has a long background in golf and has been a PGA professional since 2000. He has helped mold the swings of many young golfers in the area and with that desire to teach, I have no doubt he will make an immediate impact on our program."

"I really look forward to the opportunity to coach the women's golf team at Ripon College and am eager to get the season started," said Peters. "I am a teaching pro and that's what I like best about coaching. I want to help these players develop into the best golfers possible."

Peters played collegiate golf and basketball at Marian College in Fond du Lac, Wis. before graduating in 1995. He coached the Marian College golf team after graduation and has worked at golf courses around the region before joining Tuscumbia this past year.

"I have a lot of golfing ties to the area because I know a lot of the high school coaches in the area and have given lessons to a lot of the young golfers," Peters said. "Those connections should help me with recruiting."

Knox College has hired former Prairie Fire golfer C.J. Rugh to take over as head coach of the Prairie Fire women's golf team.

Rugh, a native of Craig, Col. and 2005 graduate of Knox College, was a four-year varsity letterwinner for the Prairie Fire men's golf team as well as a captain during his senior season.Rugh also worked the past two summers as an assistant at the Yampa Valley Golf Course ( Col.).

"I am really looking forward to being able to give something back to the Knox athletic program that has been very good to me," said Rugh. "I hope that I can help continue the success that the women's golf program has had in the past."

Rugh replaces Rick Sexton, who guided the program for one season and led them to a second place finish at the Midwest Conference Championship.

"C.J. was a key contributor in many ways to our men's golf program during the past four years," said Knox athletic director Dan Calandro. "We are very excited that he is available to coach our women's team and confident that he'll do an excellent job of keeping our women's program one of the top programs in the conference."

Rugh takes over a Prairie Fire golf program that has won four of the seven Midwest Conference Championships offered.

Monmouth College announced Monday that Molly McNamara will take over the head coaching duties of the Fighting Scots’ women’s golf team. McNamara, a 2003 graduate of Monmouth, will also serve as assistant coach for the women’s basketball team.

“I’d say that excited doesn’t begin to describe how I feel,” said McNamara of her new responsibilities. “I was very proud to be the first four-year letterwinner in the history of the program, and now I’m really looking forward to coaching. We have a solid group of golfers already, and I think that with a few solid recruits, we’ll be able to move up. We want to compete well not only in the conference, but in our region, as well.”

Starting in the fall of 2006, the Midwest Conference team champion will automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament. As a result, the league is placing a higher emphasis on a split schedule for women’s golf, since the national tourney is played in the spring.

McNamara is also excited to join forces with recently named women’s basketball head coach Melissa Jones.

“My first love was basketball, and I started playing in third grade,” said McNamara, who grew up in nearby Alexis. “I was a three-year varsity player but, unfortunately, I stopped growing. I received a lot of good coaching at Alexis, and I look forward to passing that on to our student-athletes.”

“We’re really pleased to have someone that’s one of ours,” said athletic director Dr. Terry Glasgow of the coaching change. “With golf going to a split season, I’m pleased that we were able to find someone who can fill the immediate needs that come up on a regular basis. I look for Molly to do big things.”

Glasgow said that outgoing women’s golf coach Bill Pieper was involved in the decision, and Pieper agreed that since he is in Arizona for several months each year that McNamara would be a good choice. “Molly was the right person in the right place at the right time,” Glasgow said.

On the golf course, McNamara made that a habit. The Alexis High School graduate was a member of the first women’s team in 1999 and was a key part of Monmouth’s 2002 Midwest Conference champions. She earned All-MWC individual honors her final three seasons, capping her career with a third-place individual finish for Monmouth’s MWC champs.