Women's Golf
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- mswaney@kent.edu
- Phone:
- 330-672-4600
Maddi Swaney, the 2015-16 WGCA Assistant Coach of the Year and a former standout on the Kent State women’s golf team, is in her eighth season as an assistant coach with her alma mater on the Golden Flashes’ staff.
During Swaney's tenure, Kent State women's golf has had seven NCAA Regional appearances, two team NCAA National appearances, and two individual NCAA National appearances in the history of the program. She has also coached three All-Americans, seven Mid-American Conference Golfers of the Year, three MAC Freshman of the Year, 22 First Team All-MAC honorees, 20 MAC All-Tournament Team members and three Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees.
Swaney was instrumental during the 2016-17 Kent State women's golf team's run, including its 19th straight MAC Women's Golf Championship and appearance in the NCAA National Championship. Kent State had its best finish at Nationals, finishing in a tie for fifth in the quarterfinals of match play. Kent State ended the year ranked 14th in the nation and claimed four First Team All-MAC honors. The Golden Flashes had an NCAA best 545 birdies throughout 2016-17, 136 more birdies than any other year. Second Team All-American Pimnipa Panthong, MAC Freshman and Player of the Year, led the team in most of the major statistical categories, including a 71.49 scoring average, lowest round of 63, and most rounds in the 60's with 10. Panthong led the nation in birdies with 139. Wad Phaewchimplee finished off an incredible career, claiming the lowest career scoring average in Kent State history at 73.48.
Heading into the 2018-19 season, Swaney has guided the Golden Flashes to 23 total team wins, as well as 21 individual tournament medalists. Her work with the team culminated in a record year in 2016-17, with the team setting a new program record for team scoring average at 290.87.
Academics have been strong over her time with the program, as she has coached 13 WGCA All-Scholar student-athletes. The team's GPA of 3.71 in the fall of 2016 was the highest in program history.
"I'm extremely fortunate to have Coach Swaney working with me," said Head Coach Greg Robertson. "I truly believe she is one of the top assistant golf coaches in the country. She has an active role in every aspect of our golf program, and her hard work and dedication is unmatched. There's no doubt she's been a major factor in the team's improvement and success over the last year."
Swaney returned to Kent State after serving as a tournament coordinator for the IMG Leadbetter Golf Academy in Bradenton, Fla., since the beginning of the 2011 calendar year. Swaney also worked with the American Junior Golf Association, serving as a tournament operations intern over a six-month span.
As a four-year letterwinner with the Golden Flashes, Swaney had a career scoring average of 78.7, which ranked ninth in team history upon her graduation. Her best finishes for Kent State were a trio of fourth-place efforts at the MAC Championships in 2007, 2008 and 2009. She twice earned second-team all-MAC accolades in 2008 and 2009.
In the classroom, Swaney was a three-time All-America Scholar as selected by the NGCA and was also a three-time Academic All-MAC selection.
A native of Marietta, Ohio, Swaney graduated from Kent State magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and received her M.A. in Sport and Recreation Management in December of 2016. She graduated from the NCAA Women Coaches Academy in December 2013. She has also received her TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Level One Certification in March, 2017. She currently serves as the assistant coach representative on the WGCA Board.
