Jan Dowling
Encyclopedia
Jan Dowling is a Canadian-born American college golf
coach and former amateur golfer. Dowling is the current head coach
of the Florida Gators women's golf
team of the University of Florida
.
, Canada
, and grew up in Bradford, Ontario
. She graduated from Kent State University
in Kent, Ohio
with her bachelor's degree
in leisure studies in 2002. She played for the Kent State women's golf team earned four varsity letter
s.
Player of the Year in 2000. She won the 2000 Canadian Women's Amateur
. After graduation, she was also a member of the Canadian national team for the 2002 World Golf Amateur Championships and was a member of the Ontario Amateur Team in 1999. She also played professionally from 2003 to 2005 and competed on the Golf Channel show The Big Break
.
(UAA) announced its hiring of Dowling as the new head coach of the Florida Gators women's golf team on June 15, 2009. Dowling previously served as the assistant coach for the Duke University
women's golf program for the 2008–2009 season, and three seasons as the assistant women's golf coach at Kent State University from 2006 to 2008.
In her first season as Florida's new head coach, Dowling's Lady Gators finished tenth of twelve teams at the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) championship tournament in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
, and eleventh of twenty-four teams at the NCAA East Regional Tournament in Greenville, North Carolina
. In her second year as the Lady Gators' coach, the team showed remarkable advancement, finishing as the tenth best women's college team in the country in the NCAA championship tournament.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
coach and former amateur golfer. Dowling is the current head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Florida Gators women's golf
Florida Gators women's golf
The Florida Gators women's golf team represents the University of Florida in the sport of golf. The Lady Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Southeastern Conference . They play their home matches on the Mark Bostick Golf Course on the university's...
team of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
.
Early life and education
Dowling was born in Newmarket, OntarioNewmarket, Ontario
Newmarket is a town in Southern Ontario located approximately 50 km north of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is connected to Toronto by freeway, and is served by three interchanges along Highway 404. It is also connected to Highway 400 via Highway 9...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and grew up in Bradford, Ontario
Bradford, Ontario
Bradford is the primary country urban area of the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, Ontario, in Canada. It overlooks a beautiful and prosperous farming community, known as The Holland Marsh, located on the Holland River that flows into Lake Simcoe...
. She graduated from Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
in Kent, Ohio
Kent, Ohio
Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...
with her bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in leisure studies in 2002. She played for the Kent State women's golf team earned four varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s.
Playing career
During her collegiate playing career at Kent State University, Dowling was recognized as Mid-American ConferenceMid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
Player of the Year in 2000. She won the 2000 Canadian Women's Amateur
Canadian Women's Amateur
The Canadian Women's Amateur is Canada's annual national amateur golf tournament for women. It is open to women from all countries and is played at a different course each year.-Winners:*2011 Rebecca Lee-Bentham*2010 Sydnee Michaels*2009 Jennifer Kirby...
. After graduation, she was also a member of the Canadian national team for the 2002 World Golf Amateur Championships and was a member of the Ontario Amateur Team in 1999. She also played professionally from 2003 to 2005 and competed on the Golf Channel show The Big Break
The Big Break
The Big Break is the Golf Channel's reality television program. The show's premise is to award an aspiring professional golfer exemptions into selected events on certain tours. The series debuted on October 6, 2003, and has become very popular. As of November 2011, Big Break is in its 16th...
.
Coaching career
The University Athletic AssociationUniversity of Florida Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...
(UAA) announced its hiring of Dowling as the new head coach of the Florida Gators women's golf team on June 15, 2009. Dowling previously served as the assistant coach for the Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
women's golf program for the 2008–2009 season, and three seasons as the assistant women's golf coach at Kent State University from 2006 to 2008.
In her first season as Florida's new head coach, Dowling's Lady Gators finished tenth of twelve teams at the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) championship tournament in Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, and eleventh of twenty-four teams at the NCAA East Regional Tournament in Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville, North Carolina
Greenville is the county seat of Pitt County and principal city of the Greenville, North Carolina metropolitan area. Greenville is the health, entertainment, and educational hub of North Carolina's Tidewater and Coastal Plain and in 2008 was listed as the Tenth Largest City in North Carolina...
. In her second year as the Lady Gators' coach, the team showed remarkable advancement, finishing as the tenth best women's college team in the country in the NCAA championship tournament.
See also
- Buddy AlexanderBuddy AlexanderStewart Murray "Buddy" Alexander is an American college golf coach and former amateur golfer. Alexander is the current head coach of the Florida Gators men's golf team of the University of Florida...
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- List of Kent State University alumni
- Mark Bostick Golf Course
- University Athletic AssociationUniversity of Florida Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...
External links
- GatorSports.com – Gators sports news from The Gainesville Sun.
- GatorZone.com – Official website of the Florida Gators.
- SECSports.com – Official website of the Southeastern Conference.
- University Athletic Association – Official website of University Athletic Association, Inc.
- University of Florida – Official website of the University of Florida.