University of Richmond Athletics
Decker Named Virginia Coach Of The Year; Utley Earns First-Team All-State Honors
06/30/2006 | Men's Golf
June 30, 2006
Richmond first-year head men's golf coach Adam Decker was named Virginia Division I Coach of the Year and sophomore Jordan Utley was named first-team all-state by the Virginia State Golf Coaches Association.
Decker took a young squad and guided them to Richmond's first NCAA appearance since 2001. He led the Spiders to a fourth-place finish in the 2006 Atlantic 10 Championships, and Richmond was among five Atlantic 10 teams to earn a NCAA Regional bid.
"It's a good feeling to be recognized as coach of the year by our peers," Decker said. "I am proud of the way my team played this year."
Playing with a lineup of three sophomores and a freshman, Richmond also won two tournament titles, taking first in the Big 5 Invitational and Towson's Drew Upton Memorial.
Utley, a sophomore from Richmond, Va. who is one of five players named to the all-state first-team, led the Spiders with a 73.6 scoring average and nine sub-par rounds.
"Jordan had a very solid performance this year and is very deserving of this honor," Decker said.
Utley was named Atlantic 10 All-Conference after finishing ninth at the conference championship. His best finish was taking second place at the Yale Macdonald Cup. He also took ninth at the Atlantic 10 Championship to earn all-conference honors.