NATALIE DESJARDINS NAMED HEAD WOMEN'S GOLF COACH
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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Seton Hall Director of Athletics Patrick Lyons announced on Thursday that Natalie Desjardins has been named the new head coach of the women's golf program.
Desjardins makes the short trip to South Orange after spending the last six years as the head women's golf coach at LIU-Brooklyn. A former Northeast Conference (NEC) champion as a student-athlete for the Blackbirds, she guided her alma mater to three straight NEC titles and three trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2012-14.
"Natalie's knowledge and experience make her the ideal candidate to take over our women's golf program," Lyons said. "She inherits a program, with a strong foundation, poised for continued success. Her work ethic fits the tradition of excellence that has been established since the program's inception."
Named NEC Coach of the Year in 2012, Desjardins has coached her teams to 14 tournament victories since taking the helm at LIU in 2011. In that time, she has coached 12 All-NEC players, nine who have won tournament titles as an individual and two NEC Rookies of the Year.
Demonstrating her drive for student success in the classroom as well, five of her golfers have earned Dean's List status and her team has maintained a sparkling 3.713 grade point average over the last six years.
"I am honored and humbled to have this opportunity, and to be part of the Pirate family," Desjardins said. "I want to thank athletics director Pat Lyons, associate athletics director Jim Semerad and the entire administration for entrusting me to lead the Pirate women's golf program and add to its rich history."
Most recently, the Blackbirds finished third at the NEC Championship in April, a significant improvement for a young roster that featured only one junior and no seniors. Despite their youth, Desjardins' Blackbirds notched a trio of top-5 finishes during the 2016-17 academic year.
Prior to arriving in Brooklyn, Desjardins began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach for one year at Monmouth University.
One of the most decorated golfers in LIU history, Desjardins won the Northeast Conference Individual Championship in 2010. She was named to the All-NEC First Team that season for a third time, just one year removed from earning NEC Player of the Year accolades. Desjardins was also named NEC Rookie of the Year in 2006. The Haileybury, Ontario native had eight individual tournament wins under her belt during her time as a Blackbird, including three wins at the Mount St. Mary's Invitational. Desjardins also claimed the top spot at the 2009 Lonnie Barton Invitational, a tournament named in memory of LIU's former golf coach.
After graduating from Long Island in 2010 with a bachelor's degree in political science, Desjardins worked as an instructor at the Eagle Ridge Golf Club in Lakewood, N.J. In October 2010, she went to qualifying school for the LPGA Futures Tour, and went on to spend the winter of 2011 in Florida playing on the SunCoast Tour.
http://www.shupirates.com/news/2017/6/15/natalie-desjardins-named-head-womens-golf-coach.aspx
