Thursday, June 16, 2011

FORT MYLERS, Fla. – Florida Gulf Coast University Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh announced the hiring of University of Kansas assistant coach Sarah Trew as the new head women’s golf coach on Thursday.

Trew takes over the reins of the FGCU program following five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Kansas. With the Jayhawks, Trew assisted with producing four team tournament championships and a program-best fifth-place finish at the 2009 Big 12 Conference Championship.

“We are excited to have Sarah joining our Eagles’ athletics family,” said Kavanagh. “With her extended tenure within the prestigious Big 12 Conference, she brings a strong background of success as a coach. In particular, we feel confident that she possesses the overall ingredients necessary to maximize the capabilities of our student-athletes both on the golf course and in the classroom.

“In turn, we look forward to her providing energized daily leadership to our student-athletes and continuing our ascension within the upper echelon of the Atlantic Sun Conference, in our pursuit of the conference championship and beyond.”

“I am both honored and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of a quality athletics department such as FGCU,” said Trew. “There is unlimited potential for the women's golf program and I am eager to start a tradition of excellence.”

Trew also assisted in coaching four individual tournament champions at KU, highlighted by 2007 Big 12 Conference champ Amanda Costner, who was the first individual Big 12 champion in school history. Coster was also named the Big 12 Sports Person of the Year and began a string of three straight years that a Jayhawk earned first team All-Conference status.

Emphasizing the importance of academics, the team produced four KU Academic All-Americans and six Academic All-Big 12 selections under her assistance. Additionally, the program received the highest team grade-point average (GPA) in the KU Athletic Department for six semesters, highlighted by a spring 2010 GPA of 3.62, which is the highest in Kansas Athletics history.

A 2006 graduate of the University of Arkansas with a double major in criminal justice and sociology, Trew was a three-year letterwinner for the Razorbacks and a SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient from 2003-06. During her tenure in Fayetteville, Trew was instrumental in developing the program into a top-10 power while helping the team to its first-ever NCAA Championship appearance in 2005. In 2006, the Razborbacks returned to the NCAA Championship, finishing 10th overall after the four-round tournament in Columbus, Ohio. Trew currently holds the 14th-lowest career stroke average in Arkansas' women's golf history.

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