GARRETT RUNION
HEAD COACH Garrett Runion, who has been a part of two national championships during his collegiate coaching career, is in his third season as the LSU women's golf head coach. Runion became the fourth women’s golf head coach in LSU history on June 8, 2018. He led the Tigers to a final Golfweek ranking of No. 12 in the nation while navigating through a COVID-19 shortened season in 2019-20. Along the way, LSU won three regular season tournaments and finished in the Top-3 in six of the seven tournaments played. Freshman Ingrid Lindblad earned a finalist spot for the 2020 ANNIKA Award. In his first season at the helm, Runion returned the Tigers to the NCAA postseason as LSU competed in the East Lansing Regional in 2019. LSU was in contention to advance to the NCAA Championships going into the final round at East Lansing, despite various weather challenges. Runion also coached the Tigers to a ninthplace finish at the SEC Championship in April, a fivespot improvement over last season and one spot out of match play. Runion spent six seasons as the LSU men’s golf assistant coach and in April 2018 was named a finalist for the Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award for the third year in a row. A three-year letterwinner for the Tigers, Runion was instrumental in LSU’s return to national prominence since joining Director of Golf Chuck Winstead’s men’s staff prior to the 2012-13 season. The LSU men’s team finished in the Top 10 at the men’s NCAA National Championships in four consecutive seasons from 2013-17 and had four former Tigers qualify for the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. The 2014-15 season was one for the ages in the history of LSU men’s golf as the Tigers staked their claim as the premier program in college golf with a 4-1 win over USC to win the NCAA national title. From 2012-18, 12 Tigers earned All-America honors and 14 were named All-Southeastern Conference. Runion returned to LSU after guiding Nova Southeastern to the NCAA Division II national
championship in his one and only season as head coach in 2011-12. The run to the national title highlighted a historic season that saw Runion receive the Dave Williams Award as the NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year, as well as earning Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year and Eaton Golf Pride South Region Coach of the Year honors. A native of Orlando, Florida, Runion called Baton Rouge home for four seasons from 2003-08. A four-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll and threetime SEC Community Service Team selection, Runion graduated from LSU in the May 2008 with his bachelor's degree in general studies. Runion and his wife, Meghan, have one son, Reid, aka “Rocket” and a daughter, Riley, born 13 days before her dad was named the LSU women's head coach.
ALEXIS RATHER
ASSISTANT COACH Alexis Rather is in her 11th season with the Tigers, her third working with head coach Garrett Runion. Rather spent eight seasons under the tutelage of Karen Bahnsen in addition to playing for LSU from 2003-2008. Rather has become a consummate recruiter and on-course coach. During tournaments, Rather can be seen at various spots on the course, offering help and encouragement to the Tigers when needed. The native of Tupelo, Mississippi, was a four-year letter winner at LSU, appeared in two NCAA Women’s Golf Championships as a player and was a four-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete honoree. Rather, a two-time First-Team All-Louisiana golfer, had three top 10 finishes in her senior season. Rather was named LSU’s recipient on the SEC Community Service Team while in college and has been heavily involved her entire LSU career with the school’s Life Skills Program and service projects throughout the community. She graduated from LSU in July 2007 with an honors degree in communications and her master’s in sports management from LSU in 2008.
CONTENTS
2 Tiger Roster 3 Table of Contents/Quick Facts/ Coaches Bios 4 2019-20 Tournament Results 6 2019-20 Season Stats 7 SEC Championships History 8 NCAA Championships History 12 Year-by-Year Results 34 School Records 36 Team/Individual Tournament Wins 37 National Honors 38 SEC Awards 39 Professional Golfers 40 Letterwinners 41 The University Club 42 Bilyeu Golf Practice Facility 45 LSU Golf Classic 46 University Club Records
QUICK FACTS
UNIVERSITY Location: .........................................................................Baton Rouge, La. Founded / Enrollment: .........................................................1860 / 34,290 Nickname: .........................................................................................Tigers Interim President/Chancellor: ........................................Dr. Tom Galligan Faculty Representative: .....................................................Dr. Lori Martin ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT Directo of Athletics: .......................................................Scott Woodward Executive Deputy Director of Athletics: .......................... Verge Ausberry Esecutive Deputy Director of Athletics:.......................Stephanie Rempe Sr. Associate AD/Senior Woman Administrator:................. Miriam Segar WOMEN’S GOLF Head Coach: ........................................................Garrett Runion (LSU '08) Years at LSU: ............................................3rd as head coach; 9th overall Assistant Coach: ...........................................Alexis Rather (LSU '07 & '08) Years at LSU: ........................................................................................ 11th Director of Golf/Men's Head Coach: ................. Chuck Winstead (LSU '91) Years at LSU: ........................................................................................16th Assistant Coach: ............................................ Andrew Nelson (Liberty '11) Years at LSU: ........................................................................................ 2nd COMMUNICATIONS Associate AD/Communications:...................................Michael Bonnette Associate Director/Women’s Golf:.........................................Judy Willson Willson office/cell: .....................................225-578-1869 / 225-436-7986 Email Address: ................................................................jwillson@lsu.edu Golf Communications Assistant:........................................ Haylee Knight CREDITS The 2020-21 LSU Women’s Golf Record Book is a production of the LSU Athletics Communications and Creative Services – Judy Willson, Dayna Ruan; Photography by LSU Photo Services, Director - Chris Parent; Special thanks to the LPGA, Symetra Tour, WGCA and Getty Images for their assistance in providing information and pictures for this book.
"We have had young teams recently that got to taste what postseason was like and realize that they belong and can compete at the national level. This will be the motivation for us to get better each year." ~ Garrett Runion
2020-21 WOMEN’S GOLF RECORD BOOK (AS OF 9/30/2020)
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