CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Wake Forest women’s golf head coach Kim Lewellen has been named the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) National Coach of the Year for the second time in four years. She was also named the WGCA National Coach of the Year in April 2020 after the season was cut short due to the pandemic. 

This marks the 15th time national coach of the year in Wake Forest history including 11 since the turn of the century. The Demon Deacons have three active national coach of the year winners in field hockey’s Jen Averill, men’s tennis’ Tony Bresky and Lewellen. The three have combined for six national coach of the year honors during their time in Winston-Salem.

“It’s always humbling to receive an award,” Coach Lewellen said. “Being named the WGCA’s National Coach of the Year is an honor because my colleagues have nominated me. It’s these young ladies, their work ethic and their accomplishments that allow me to receive this award. Thank you to them, thank you to coach Potter for the hours he puts in to help our team get better, our support staff that allow us to focus on coaching, just thank you to everyone that has had a part in this process. Go Deacs!”

Lewellen is fresh off earning an NCAA National Championship with her team in Scottsdale, Arizona, last week at Grayhawk Golf Club. It is the first of her head coaching career and the first in program history for Wake Forest women’s golf. 

Along with the program’s first national title, 2022-23 was a historical year for the Deacs as they won a program-record five regular season titles in addition to being national champions. They were either the top-ranked or the second-ranked team in the country for the duration of the season and only finished outside the top two one time, when the team finished fourth at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. 

Lewellen has coached four All-Americans, a program-record five All-ACC selections, a two-time ACC Player of the Year, the 2022 ACC Freshman of the year, three Arnold Palmer Cup selections and three Curtis Cup selections this season alone. During her entire five-year tenure, the Deacs have won 20 team titles and 20 individual titles and Lewellen has had 15 All-America selections along with 15 All-ACC selections. 

The 2022 ACC Coach of the Year is no stranger to success in her 18 years as a head coach. She won the LPGA National College Coach of the Year in 2011 while at the University of Virginia, where she was also named the ACC Coach of the year three times over her 11-year tenure. She began her collegiate coaching career in 2003 when she spent one season as the head coach of the men’s and women’s teams at The Citadel. She then went on to be the head coach at East Carolina for two seasons where she led the Pirates to the program’s first ever Conference USA Championship in 2006 and a runner-up finish in 2007.before beginning her tenure at Virginia that same year. This is now the second time in four years that Lewellen has been named the WGCA National Coach of the Year. 

Wake Forest History of National Coaches of the Year (15)

• Kim Lewellen (Women’s Golf) – 2023
• Kim Lewellen (Women’s Golf) – 2020
• Tony Bresky (Men’s Tennis) – 2018
• Jay Vidovich (Men’s Soccer) – 2008
• Jay Vidovich (Men’s Soccer) – 2007
• Jim Grobe (Football) – 2006
• Jennifer Averill (Field Hockey) – 2004
• Jennifer Averill (Field Hockey) – 2003
• Jennifer Averill (Field Hockey) – 2002
• Brian Fleishman (Women’s Tennis) – 2002
• Dianne Dailey (Women’s Golf) – 2001
• John Mackovic (Football) 1979
• Jesse Haddock (Men’s Golf) – 1975
• Jesse Haddock (Men’s Golf) – 1974
• Taylor Sanford (Baseball) – 1955