Admissions | Undergraduate Admissions | Transfer Newsletter | Women's Golf Added to the George Fox Athletics Program

Women's Golf Added to the George Fox Athletics Program

By: James Tchalemian, Admissions Intern

The women's golf team is the newest intercollegiate sport to be added to the George Fox Bruin's athletic program since the addition of the men's and women's tennis teams in 1996.

MaryJo McCloskey was selected to be the head coach just three days after the official introduction of the new team in March of this year. She arrives with a great deal of experience in tournament play and was previously the head coach at Lewis & Clark College for eight years. After playing four years in high school at St. Mary's Academy in Portland, she played at the collegiate level at the University of Oregon, where she received her bachelor's degree in marketing.

"I'm very excited about the tremendous opportunity to build a women's golf program at George Fox," McCloskey says. "I believe golf teaches many life skills, and it will be rewarding to combine it with the values that George Fox upholds and provide women student-athletes the chance to play and compete."

Although this is the first year for the women's golf team, some of the team members enter with tournament experience. Whitney Clunes, a freshman from West Linn, Ore., was a highly recruited player her senior year. Christine Collier, a transfer student from the University of Portland, is the team captain and a freshman from Turner, Ore. She is an experienced player, having gone to the state tournament three years in a row and ranked No. 1 on her high school team. Nicole Hudson, a sophomore from Redmond, Ore., is a strong athlete who transferred from St. Francis University in Pennsylvania. Robin Taylor, a senior from Bend, Ore., is a talented golfer who enjoys the competitive atmosphere.

Both Hudson and Taylor are dual-sport female athletes competing in basketball this winter as well as golf. Hudson played in the very competitive NCAA Division I level at St. Francis University. Taylor is a seasoned basketball player with experience in high school and all four years of college. She is also the team captain of the George Fox basketball team.

George Fox is the ninth and final team to offer women's golf in the Northwest Conference. They compete against such schools as Linfield University, Willamete University, Pacific University, the University of Puget Sound, Whitman College, Lewis & Clark College, Whitworth College and Pacific University.

As well as having their first year of competition, the Bruins have a brand new, beautifully designed home course. The Chehalem Glenn Golf Course is located at 4501 East Fernwood Road in Newberg. It opened with a nine-hole course in the summer of 2005 and is expected to complete the back nine by next summer.

It is because of a generous donation from golf pro Brian Henninger that the women's golf program was able to take flight. Henninger, who is from Wilsonville, Ore., donated a $4,000 check through the Brian Henninger Foundation. Bruin Director of Athletics, Craig Taylor, was happy to accept the gift saying, "We appreciate the generosity of Brian Henninger and the Henninger Foundation in helping us lay a foundation for the new women's intercollegiate golf team here at George Fox."

The Lady Bruin's last tournament for the fall season was Oct. 23rd in the Northwest Conference Fall Classic at the Tokatee Golf Course in Blue River, Ore. They will start back up in the spring beginning in January and run through the end of the school year.

The university plans to add a men's golf program in the future, but as of this point does not have a starting date.

Prospective student-athletes can contact the department of intercollegiate athletics at (503) 554-2910. Check out the women's golf program at the George Fox athletics web page for updates or more information.