Augusta State's Josh Gregory xml_named the National Coach Of The Year

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Augusta State's Josh Gregory, who led the Jaguars to the first National Championship in school history on June 6, has been xml_named the National Coach of The Year and the recipient of the Dave Williams Coach Of The Year Award.

Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation -- the national sponsor for the award -- officially announced the six recipients of the Eaton Golf Pride Dave Williams Coach of the Year Award on Tuesday afternoon from Southern Pines, N.C.

The award, xml_named after legendary University of Houston head golf coach Dave Williams, is presented by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA). Jeff Fiorini, general manager of Eaton's Golf Grip Division, will present the coaches with their awards during the Hall of Fame Banquet at the GCAA Convention on December 6.

Gregory (Division I), Tim Poe of University of Central Missouri (Division II), Steve Conley of Methodist University (Division III), Kyle Blaser of Oklahoma City University (NAIA), Dave Jennings of Central Alabama Community College (NJCAA Division I), and Jake Harrington of South Mountain Community College (NJCA Division II) will each receive the prestigious 2010 Eaton Golf Pride Dave Williams Coach of the Year Award.

"It's been an incredible ride and it truly is an honor to get recognized for this award," said Gregory. "All the credit goes to our players. We really had a phenomenal year on and off the golf course."

Gregory, who recently completed his eighth year as Director of Golf and Head Men's Golf Coach at ASU, guided the Jaguars to the best season in school history in 2009-10. ASU posted four tourxml_nament victories, matched the highest national ranking in school history at No. 2, and registered 10 consecutive top-five finishes to close out the season.

The Jags posted a runnerup effort at the NCAA Southwest Regional and finished sixth in the stroke-play portion of the NCAA Championships to earn their way into match play as the No. 6 seed. Over the course of the next three days, ASU took down the top three seeds at the NCAA Championships -- No. 3 Georgia Tech (3-2 in the quarterfinals), No. 2 Florida State (4-1 in the semifinals) and No. 1 Oklahoma State (3-1-1 in the championship match).

With the victory over the Cowboys, the Jags claimed their first national title in any of their 11 varsity sports and denied Oklahoma State its 11th national title in school history.

During his tenure in Augusta, Gregory has produced 10 All-American selections, five Cleveland Golf All-America scholars, 13 All-South Region picks and 10 NCAA All-Independent selections along with six Palmer Cup team selections, two Walker Cup picks and a Ryder Cup selection.