By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech men's and women's golf head coach Polk Brown announced the newest member of his staff with the hiring of Amanda Smith as an assistant coach.
"I already knew how great of a program Tech had when we would play in their home tournament [when I was at Indiana State]," Smith said. "They would strive to always provide other teams with the greatest experience. I knew going forward I wanted to be associated with a program that could do that for other teams and also provide that for their University as well. That and the culture here is what really drew my interest."
Smith joins the Golden Eagles after spending the past two years on the outside operations staff at TPC Scottsdale and simultaneously pursuing a professional golf career. In that time, she participated in the LPGA Qualifying School, taking part in several events, including the U.S. Women's Open Qualifier at Arizona Country Club.
She also competed in the Arizona Cactus Mini-Tour, participating in six events. Her top finish came at Desert Canyon Golf Club, where she tied for fourth place overall with scores of 66, 70 and 77. Additionally, she competed in three state open tournaments, winning the Indiana Women's Open at TPC Players Club with back-to-back rounds of 72.
A four-year letterwinner at Indiana State University, Smith stayed on with the team as an assistant coach while earning her master's in sports management. She served in the role from June 2015 to December 2017, assisting with planning and development of practice sessions. She also provided on course coaching and assessment, as well as analyzation of players' swings.
"I'm looking forward to being around the atmosphere [of college golf] again and getting on the course with the student-athletes, particularly in practice and their development. I've worked a lot with the mental side of golf, so sharing my interests and being able to develop young players, not just on the course, but in the classroom as well, excites me."
During her career at Indiana State, Smith was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference golfer, earning the honor in 2013 and 2014. She was also named a WGVCA All-American Scholar in 2013 and was a two-time member of the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team in 2012 and 2013. In 2011 and 2013, she earned Academic All-American honors and earned the MVC Leadership and Service Award in 2014.
"I could not be more excited to have Amanda join our program," Brown said. "Her excitement, knowledge and passion for the game are what really sold me on her coming board. These characteristics will be a huge asset to our student-athletes. I look forward to working alongside her as we continue to elevate Tech Golf."
A native of Canton, Ohio, Smith earned her bachelor's degree in recreation and sport management from Indiana State in 2015.
Photo courtesy of Indiana State Athletic Communications
