White earns first career Big Sky Coach of the Year award

By JON KASPER
Big Sky Conference

OGDEN, Utah -- Northern Colorado's Brandon White was honored Tuesday afternoon as the 2011-12 Big Sky Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year.

White, in his sixth season, earned the award in a vote of his peers after coaching the Bears last week to this year's Big Sky Conference Championship.

Northern Colorado entered the tournament ranked seventh among Big Sky schools in the Golfweek.com rankings but put together three record-breaking rounds to earn the program's first Big Sky title.

It opened with a school-record round of 290, followed with a 299, and closed with a 291 to post an 880, tying the Big Sky Championship record.

The Bears then edged Sacramento State by two shots for the team title and will play next week in the 2012 NCAA West Regional at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colo.

"Wow, that's cool," White said. "I'm honored that the other coaches in our conference voted for me. That always means a lot to anybody to have the support of their peers. I have a lot of respect for the other coaches in our conference. We have a lot of other great coaches, and I know we all work hard, and at the end of the day we all really enjoy what we do. That's a really cool honor.'"

White's squad was led in 2012 by Big Sky medalist Carleigh Silvers, a junior, who posted a 3-under-par 213 last week at the Big Sky Championships. Her sister Chelsea Silvers, a senior, tied for second with a 2-under-par 214.

Ali Nelson, the 2009 Big Sky champion, and junior Libby Avery both shot 229 and tied for 18th. Junior Hannah McNeley tied for 21st with a 230.

White, a native of Greeley, Colo, who golfed at and graduated Pepperdine (1999-03), was the 2000 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. He helped Pepperdine to West Coast Conference Championships in 1999 and 2000.

White competed on the Grey Goose/Gateway Tour from summer 2003 through winter 2005, and he has also worked as a professional caddy on the Grey Goose/Gateway Tour, the Canadian Tour and the Nationwide Tour.

He has been the Bears coach since July, 2006, and is the third Northern Colorado coach during the 2011-12 season to earn a Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year honor, joining Tim Barrera (soccer) and Lyndsey Benson (volleyball).