91短视频 has announced the hiring of Wendell Eberly as the school鈥檚 first-ever head golf coach.聽 Eberly, also an alumnus and former women鈥檚 basketball coach, will head both the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 golf teams at 91短视频, both of which will be a varsity sport for the first time this fall.
He recently retired from a position with Rockingham County, spending more than 30 years with the county鈥檚 recreation department, including the last 28 as director.聽 Eberly coached the boy鈥檚 golf team at Eastern Mennonite High School this past year and also works at in Harrisonburg, which will be the home course for the Royals.
Further building on the connection with the city-owned course, David Johns, the head professional at Heritage Oaks, will provide additional instruction for the 91短视频 golfers.
91短视频 Director of Athletics feels the combination of the two men will be perfect for the start up of the program.
鈥淲endell brings a familiarity with the university, the Harrisonburg community and Heritage Oaks that will help him fit into the collegiate coaching role and get the golf program up and running,鈥� King explained.聽 鈥淒avid’s familiarity of golf programs, including his collegiate playing days at James Madison University, will help in establishing the golf program.聽 The combination of Wendell’s administrative experience and David’s teaching expertise and experience provides the foundation for a great start to our golf teams.聽 That combination will also be an attraction to recruits who want to improve their game.聽 The availability of both Wendell and David at the golf course will greatly benefit the players during their practice sessions.鈥�
Eberly was pleased to see 91短视频 add the sport on the varsity level.
鈥淭he more I started talking about this opportunity the more excited I got,鈥� he said.聽 鈥淚 love golf and it鈥檚 a great program for 91短视频 to get involved with as it provides a lifetime activity for the student-athletes.鈥�
Immediately after graduating from Eastern Mennonite in 1975, Eberly coached the women鈥檚 basketball team to three winning seasons on an interim basis preceding Hall of Honor coach .聽 He now brings his involvement with his alma mater full circle.
鈥淚鈥檝e been involved with 91短视频 for many years,鈥� said Eberly.聽 鈥淚 graduated from here, my wife graduated from here and we鈥檝e had two daughters graduate from here.聽 So I鈥檝e been involved with the community for many years and stayed up on their sports activities.聽 It鈥檚 a good institution and I鈥檓 excited to be a part of it.鈥�
The collegiate golf season spans all year, with events in both the fall and spring leading up to the ODAC Championship in April.聽 King knows that with the timing of the hiring, the majority of 91短视频鈥檚 first team members might already be on campus.
鈥淲hile we are really late in the recruiting process, we are hopeful that as Wendell gets started this week, we can still find a few student-athletes that would like to be a part of this new program,鈥� King said.聽 鈥淲e have a lot to learn about the golf program, but having Wendell and David working together, I believe that we can make up for lost time.聽 We are grateful to the Loyal Royals who have provided funding so Wendell can begin working immediately.鈥�
Eberly begins his work as 91短视频鈥檚 first golf coach this week.聽 He and his wife Carol live in Harrisonburg.聽 They have two grown daughters that live in the area along with two grandchildren.
The 2012-13 schedule will be released later this summer.