July 7, 2001
LEXINGTON, Kty. – Stephanie Martin, the 2001 Big Sky Women’s Coach of the Year, has been named women’s golf coach at the University of Kentucky, Athletics Director Larry Ivy announced today. Martin, who has served as head coach at Cal State Northridge the past two seasons, replaces Bettie Lou Evans, who became UK’s Director of Golf on July 1.
Martin coached the Matadors the last two seasons, earning a fifth-place finish in 2000 before finishing second this past spring. Matador golfers earned two “Big Sky Golfer of the Week” awards last spring and two All-Conference honors.
“My goal was to become a coach at a big Division I school with a great athletic program,” Martin said. “To be fortunate enough to have an opportunity to coach Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference is a dream come true. I’m thrilled about his opportunity.”
Martin played collegiate golf at Oklahoma State for Hall of Fame coach Ann Pitts, earning All-America honors twice (1992-93) and Academic All-America honors three times (1991-93). She qualified for the NCAA Tournament twice as an individual while leading the Cowgirls to two team appearances.In 1992, she won the Edith Cummings Munson Award given to the NCAA women’s golfer who earns both first-team All-America and first-team Academic All-America honors. During the ’92 season, she won four individual titles and finished in a tie for ninth place at the NCAA Championships, one of the best finishes ever by an OSU golfer. In ’93, she was named the state’s Woman Athlete of the Year in Oklahoma.
“When we looked at our strong field of candidates, Stephanie continued to rise to the top for obvious reasons,” Ivy said. “Besides her coaching success at Cal State Northridge, she was an All-American on the course and in the classroom while playing for a legendary coach. That alone exemplifies the type of coach we want teaching our student-athletes. We think she’s one of the top young coaches in collegiate golf and we’re thrilled she’s coming to Lexington.”
Martin also has a wealth of professional golf experience since her days at Oklahoma State. Since 1994, the Camarillo, Calif., native has been a professional on the LPGA Tour, the European LPGA Tour, the Australian Tour and the Futures Tour. She has a pair of top-40 finishes on the LPGA Tour and two Top-25 finishes on the Australian Tour. Martin also qualified for the U.S. Open twice and the British Open in 1995.
She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education from Oklahoma State in 1994.
