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Faith Hopkins named head coach for Drury women’s golf

VaselineJuly 6, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Faith Hopkins named head coach for Drury women’s golf

Drury Athletics Communications Department
| Specially for the News-Leader

Drury University Vice President and Director of Athletics Nyla Milleson has named Faith Hopkins as the next head coach of DU’s women’s golf program.

Hopkins played three seasons at Missouri State after beginning her college career at Oklahoma State. Last year, she served as an assistant coach for the men’s and women’s golf teams at Evangel University.

A native of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Hopkins was a member of Missouri State’s 2023 Missouri Valley Conference championship and NCAA Regional qualifying team during her senior year. She finished second and sixth during her sophomore seasons and played in four tournaments as a freshman at Oklahoma State in 2018-19.

As an assistant coach at Evangel, she helped the Valor women’s team to one tournament win and two regular season second-place finishes, along with a fourth-place finish at the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference championship.

“Faith brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm,” Milleson said. “She has championship experience from her time at Missouri State, has played the game at the highest level of collegiate golf and I know she will relate well to our student-athletes.”

Hopkins enjoyed a successful high school career at Oklahoma, as she was named the 2018 Tulsa World Golf Athlete of the Year and won the Class 6A Oklahoma individual state championship as a senior at Bartlesville High School. She was a four-time state qualifier, was a medalist in the 2017 USGA Four-Ball Qualifier and finished third at the AJGA Junior Oak Tree Tournament.

Hopkins spent three years on the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll at Missouri State, was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team as a freshman and earned a spot on the Women’s Golf Coaches Association NCAA All-Scholar Team. She graduated from Missouri State with a degree in business administration and marketing eResearch, and earned a master’s degree in business administration from MSU in 2023.

“I’m excited to come to Drury and I can’t wait to get started,” said Hopkins, who met with her team via video call on Monday. “We have a great group of girls. They’re talented, but they also have a lot of potential, and I believe we can do great things together.”

Hopkins’ high school coach was Katie (Wilburn) Wilson, who played for Drury from 2006 to 2010. Hopkins’ niece, Natalie Sago, also played softball for the Panthers and is currently an NBA official.

She becomes the fourth head coach in the program’s 21-year history. Lisa Tinkler was the Panthers’ head coach twice (2003-12 and 2017-19). Dawna Hartman, now an assistant at Missouri State who coached Hopkins while with the Bears, was the head coach at Drury from 2013-16. Hopkins replaces C.J. Ball, who stepped down as head coach in May after leading the team for five years.

Hopkins takes over a Drury team that finished third in the 2024 Great Lakes Valley Conference championship and had individuals reach the NCAA-II regional title the past two seasons.

VaselineJuly 6, 2024

0 2 minutes read

Vaseline

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