Women's Golf
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- awright@richmond.edu
- Phone:
- 239-3229
In her first five seasons as head coach of the Spiders, Ali Wright has built Richmond's women's golf program into a powerhouse in the Patriot League. The Spiders have won a trio of conference championships under Wright, finishing first in the Patriot League in  2016, 2017, and 2018. Wright was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year following the 2016 and 2017 seasons. She has coached seven different golfers to a total of 15 All-Patriot League selections during her time at Richmond, including guiding Sophie DiPetrillo to the individual Patriot League title and the conference's Most Outstanding Golfer honors in 2018.Â
In 2018-19, the Spiders finished in the top half of the field in seven of their nine full-field tournaments, including a share of the team title at the Bucknell Spring Break Intercollegiate in March. In a head-to-head stroke play match vs Columbia in October, Richmond combined for a score of 287 (-1) in the second round, the lowest 18-hole team score in program history. Senior Annie Collom shot a 67 (-5) in round two, the best 18-hole individual score in Spiders history. Collom posted a season stroke average of 75.07, second-lowest in program history, and earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors after finishing tied for sixth at the Patriot League Championship. Sophomore Lizzie Reedy also earned second team all-conference honors and became the program's all-time leader in career scoring average after posting a 76.57 stroke average for the second straight season. Senior Sophie DiPetrillo recorded five top-10 finishes, including a tie for fourth at the Patriot League Championship that earned her first team all-conference honors. As a team, the Spiders finished third at the Patriot League Championship, which they hosted at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian, Va.Â
2017-18 was the most successful season in Spiders history, with Richmond capturing four tournament titles, winning an unprecedented third straight Patriot League title, and advancing to the NCAA Regionals in Tallahassee, Florida. On the final day of the Patriot League championship, the Spiders overcame a four-stroke deficit on the back nine to win the league title. Three Spiders earned All-Conference honors, including DiPetrillo, the first individual conference champion in the history of the program.Â
Richmond started its 2017-18 campaign by winning its first three tournaments: the Navy Fall Invitational, the Boston College Intercollegiate, and the Bill Berg Invitational. The Spiders became one of just 22 teams in NCAA history to win back-to-back-to-back events in the same season and rose to their highest GolfStat ranking in program history (59). With three consecutive wins to start the season, at one point the Spiders were the only unbeaten program in the nation.Â
In 2016-17, Wright guided her team to a second-consecutive Patriot League title and an appearance at the NCAA Regionals in Lubbock, Texas. Wright repeated as Patriot League Coach of the Year and led four Spiders to All-Conference honors.
2015-16 was a breakthrough year for Wright and the Spiders. She led the squad to the program's first conference championship and a trip to the NCAA Regionals in Palo Alt, California. Wright was named Patriot League Coach of the Year as the Spiders held off Boston University to win a conference title in just their second year as members of the Patriot League. That year, the three freshmen who comprised Wright's first recruiting class (Isabella Rusher, Sophie DiPetrillo and Annie Collom) competed in every tournament in the starting lineup. DiPetrillo earned Patriot League First Team honors, Collom earned Second Team honors, and Rusher twice tied the school record for lowest round. Â
In her first season with the Spiders in 2014-15, Wright led the Spiders to a fourth-place finish at the Patriot League Championship in Richmond's first year in the conference. A pair of Spiders, Elsa Diaz and Jessica Lydia, earned All-Conference honors as the Spiders improved on their eighth-place finish in the CAA the season before.
Wright came to Richmond following a nine-year stint as the head women’s golf coach at Longwood University. Prior to Longwood, Wright was assisting the head coach at Ball State University during the fall of 2005, following a year as a graduate teaching assistant at her alma mater, the University of Louisville.Â
In 2012-13, Longwood posted four top-five efforts and seven top-10 finishes overall in 10 events, posting a team average of 308.48 and finishing third at the Big South Conference Championship.
Longwood placed three student-athletes on the 2010-11 National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Division I All-Scholar Team. The Lancers ranked 12th among the 2009 NGCA Division I All-Scholar Teams with an overall combined team GPA of 3.658, including four student-athletes named NGCA All-American Scholars.At Ball State, Wright conducted video swing analysis of team members and recruits while assisting in recruiting as well. She also initiated fundraising efforts by locating and contacting a target market for boosters and creating a booster program with rewards incentives.
At Louisville, Wright taught physical education classes that included sections of golf where she filmed, edited, and provided feedback of over 150 golf swings. Wright has also worked at the Hidden Lake Golf Club (1996-2004), and was an assistant to the head professional at the “Swing It Golf School” (2002-04).
On the course at Louisville, Wright earned 11 top-20 individual finishes and served as a team captain during her senior year after helping the Cardinals advance to the NCAA Regional Tournament in 2001. She also competed in two Bank of Montreal tournaments as an amateur and was a member of both the Canadian Amateur Team (2003) and the Ontario Provincial Amateur Team (2000-02). Additionally, Wright was the 1999 Ontario Provincial High School Champion.
A native of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, Wright earned her both Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Louisville, studying business administration as an undergraduate and sports administration in graduate school.
