The longest-tenured golf coach in Lycoming College history, Jamie Spencer, will return to the course in 2022-23 for a 16th season at the helm of the program, Director of Athletics Mike Clark announced on Monday.
“Jamie was one of the most well-liked coaches on staff during his first tenure as head golf coach,” Clark said. “Unfortunately, some things changed at his full-time job that made it impossible to continue in that role, so he did the right thing for him, his family and the program and stepped down. Over the course of the last seven years, things have settled down for him, he caught the coaching bug again a couple years ago and we are glad to welcome him back as our golf coach. Our golf team will enjoy the van rides with Coach Spence and they will also enjoy his sense of humor and upbeat attitude when they are on the course practicing and in competition.”
Spencer solidified the Warriors’ golf program during his first tenure from 2001-15, as he became the longest-tenured coach in program history while mentoring five all-conference performers and two MAC Scholar Athletes.
“I am extremely grateful for this opportunity to return as golf coach,” Spencer said. “I have so many great memories with Lycoming College. I would like to thank Coach Clark and the entire administration. It feels great to be back and I am looking forward to getting back on the course here shortly. I have been doing this for a long time. Regardless of the sport, coaching has always been about establishing relationships. We have a great school and I hope to provide a little fun with the entire college experience.”
After the Warriors finished last at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships in his first year in 2001, Spencer quickly built the team into a respectable contender in the conference, helping the team to a seventh-place finish in a 14-team field just four years later as Jim Bechtel became Spencer’s first all-conference golfer.
In 2005, when the MAC split its league championship into separate events for the Freedom and Commonwealth Conferences, Jordan Isenberg and Jim Bechtel starred for the Warriors as they finished tied for second to earn all-conference honors and led the Warriors to a second-place finish in the MAC Freedom.
In 2006, Isenberg again earned all-conference honors under Spencer and the team finished fourth. Ryan Nelson also earned all-conference honors in 2007. He coached his second MAC Scholar Athlete in 2013, as four-year letterwinner Drew Tompkins was named the honoree to join Bechtel as winners of the prestigous award. In 2015, he mentored Will Dietz, the first Warrior to earn the Academic All-MAC award in program history.
Spencer is an alum of the golf program, as he finished tied for 17th at the MAC Championships as a junior and he notched a hole-in-one in the event on a 157-yard par-3 in 1998.