DWU Athletic Department

Adam Anderson
Head Men’s and Women’s Golf Coach
University of Notre Dame ’01 - B.A.
University of Notre Dame ’03 - M.Ed.
adanders@dwu.edu
605-995-2179

Conference titles and multiple trips to the NAIA National Championships have become the norm during Adam Anderson’s tenure as the head golf coach at Dakota Wesleyan University. Anderson is entering his sixth season as the head of the Tigers’ men’s and women’s golf programs, and both teams are annually among the top of the standings in the Great Plains Athletic Conference as well as rated in the NAIA Top 25.

The 2009-10 season was no exception. The Tiger women ran away with another GPAC title – their fourth under Anderson and their seventh in the past eight years – and earned yet another trip to the NAIA Women’s Golf National Championships. It was the DWU women’s fifth trip to nationals in as many seasons under Anderson and seventh in a row overall. Anderson received his third GPAC Women’s Golf Coach-of-the-Year honors, and his team also had the GPAC Women’s Golfer-of-the-Year for the second straight year in sophomore Dani Bellet, in addition to four All-GPAC selections and two NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

The DWU men’s team secured yet another berth to the NAIA Men’s Golf National Championships thanks to its second-place finish in the GPAC. The 2009-10 season marked the third straight year the Tiger men’s golf team has finished in second place or higher in the GPAC, including a conference title in 2008 when Anderson was named the GPAC Men’s Golf Coach-of-the-Year. Four DWU men’s golfers were named to the All-GPAC team this past year while one earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors. In the past three seasons, the Tiger men have now broken or tied every single team and individual scoring record possible at the university.

In his five seasons at DWU, Anderson has won a total of five GPAC titles, three NAIA Region III titles and has made seven trips to the NAIA National Championships. Additionally, he has received coaching honors in all five seasons with four GPAC Coach-of-the-Year awards along with three NAIA Region III Coach-of-the-Year honors.

On the women’s side, Anderson has coached two NAIA All-American Honorable Mention golfers, three GPAC Players-of-the-Year and three NAIA Region III Golfers-of-the-Year. On the men’s side, Anderson has coached two PING/ NAIA All-North Region golfers. Overall, for both programs, the amazing totals under Anderson’s leadership are as follows: 32 All-Conference golfers, 36 GPAC Players-of-the-Week and 13 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

Coach Anderson believes Dakota Wesleyan offers a great opportunity for competitive high school golfers who wish to take their game to the next level. Besides having access to their beautiful home course, Wild Oak, the Tigers also occasionally play at Lakeview. The Tigers’ challenging schedule allows the men’s and women’s teams to compete in both fall and spring golf seasons with some of the top teams in the Midwest and beyond. Anderson uses a modern video camera and swing analysis software to help aid golfers with any necessary swing changes between seasons. Each team routinely plays six or seven events each season or up to 14 per year. Furthermore, to fine-tune their skills before the spring tournaments begin, Anderson offers any member of his team an opportunity to attend a spring break golf trip to a southern location in the United States.

A four-year member of the Fighting Irish golf team at Notre Dame, Anderson made the traveling team his final two years. His best season came during his junior year when he was named to the NCAA Academic All-America Team and the Big East All-Conference Team in 1999-2000.

In the summers following his junior and senior years, Anderson stayed on campus to help run the Nike Junior Golf Programs, working as a camp counselor and an on-course instructor.

Anderson arrived at DWU after spending three years teaching math and science while coaching various sports teams in Oklahoma City and Kansas City. During his time in Kansas City, he worked as an assistant golf professional at Staley Farms Golf Club.

Originally from the Mitchell area (Plankinton, S.D.), Anderson won the Mitchell City Golf Tournament in 1999 and 2006. He is married and lives in Mitchell with his wife, Heather.

For more information on becoming a Tiger golfer, fill out an online golf questionnaire and Coach Anderson will contact you.

Jessica Williams
Graduate Assistant Coach
California Baptist University ’10 – B.S.

Jessica Williams enters the 2010-11 season in her first year as the graduate assistant coach for Dakota Wesleyan University.

Williams arrived in Mitchell after playing four years of competitive college golf. She played her first three years at NCAA Division-I Longwood University in Virginia and competed in her final year at California Baptist University (NAIA). While at Longwood, Williams achieved Division I All-Independent Second-Team honors and was named to the Division I Independent All-Newcomer Team. In addition, she was a scholar-athlete all three years at Longwood.

In her final year at California Baptist, Williams was an NAIA All-American Second-Team honoree, and she won the Cumberlands/MidSouth Spring Invitational in Kentucky. In addition to these honors, she also represented her team at the NAIA Women’s Golf National Championship, where she helped lead her team to a third-place finish.

A multisport athlete, Williams also played on the varsity basketball team while attending California Baptist University.

In May 2010, Williams graduated from CBU with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in educational policy and administration at Dakota Wesleyan University.

Her parents are Mike and Connie Williams, and she has one younger brother, Tim.

Williams is a native of Johnstown, Ohio.