Golf Coaches

Adam Anderson

Adam Anderson

Head Men’s and Women’s Golf Coach
University of Notre Dame ’01 – B.A.
University of Notre Dame ’03 – M.Ed.
adanders@dwu.edu
605-995-2179

The Dakota Wesleyan University golf programs have come to be some of the top programs in the Great Plains Athletic Conference and the NAIA in the past several years, and head coach Adam Anderson is to thank for that.  Anderson enters his seventh year as the head men’s and women’s golf coach in 2011-12, and both teams are poised for another successful year of golf.

In 2010-11, the Tiger women took another step toward establishing the dynasty they have been building over the past few seasons.  Dakota Wesleyan won its third straight conference title and eighth title in the past nine years, and in the process earned yet another trip to the NAIA Women’s Golf National Championships.  The Tigers have been to the national championships in each of Anderson’s six seasons, and it was also their eighth in a row.  Anderson was named the GPAC’s Co-Women’s Golf Coach-of-the-Year – his fourth coach-of-the-year honor in six seasons.

Junior Dani Bellet also continued the creation of her own personal dynasty in 2010-11.  She won her third straight GPAC Women’s Golfer-of-the-Year award and earned All-GPAC First-Team honors.  At the national meet, she finished runner-up and later became the first golfer to earn All-American First-Team honors in DWU golf history.  Bellet was also named the winner of the NAIA’s prestigious A.O. Duer Award, which honors one junior male and female athlete based on ability, scholarship, character and citizenship.  She also set the school’s records for 18- and 36-hole individual scores.

Freshmen Kamie Roesler and Chelsea Burback also earned All-GPAC First-Team honors for finishing in the top 15 in the individual GPAC race.  Bellet and senior Carly Hayes earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete status.  As a team, the Tigers finished in 22nd at the national tournament.

The Tiger men failed to make the national tournament, but finished third in the GPAC race.  Seniors Tyler Evenson and Chris Pritchard, along with sophomore Travis Johnson, all earned All-GPAC First-Team honors.  Johnson, Pritchard, Evenson, Adam Shiffermiller and Josh Korn set the school record for 36-hole team score at the Palace City Classic at Lakeview Golf Course in Mitchell in October.

In his five seasons at DWU, Anderson has won a total of six GPAC titles, three NAIA Region III titles and has made eight trips to the NAIA National Championships.  Additionally, he has received coaching honors in all six seasons with five GPAC Coach-of-the-Year awards along with three NAIA Region III Coach-of-the-Year honors.

On the women’s side, Anderson has coached one NAIA All-American First-Team honoree, two NAIA All-American Honorable Mention golfers, four GPAC Players-of-the-Year and three NAIA Region III Golfers-of-the-Year.  On the men’s side, Anderson has coached two PING/NAIA All-North Region golfers.  Overall, for both programs, the amazing totals under Anderson’s leadership are as follows: 38 All-Conference golfers, 45 GPAC Players-of-the-Week and 15 NAIA Scholar-Athletes.

Coach Anderson believes Dakota Wesleyan offers a great opportunity for competitive high school golfers who wish to take their game to the next level.  Besides having access to their beautiful home course, Wild Oak, the Tigers also occasionally play at Lakeview.  The Tigers’ challenging schedule allows the men’s and women’s teams to compete in both fall and spring golf seasons with some of the top teams in the Midwest and beyond.  Anderson uses a modern video camera and swing analysis software to help aid golfers with any necessary swing changes between seasons.  Each team routinely plays six or seven events each season or up to 14 per year.  Furthermore, to fine-tune their skills before the spring tournaments begin, Anderson offers any member of his team an opportunity to attend a spring break golf trip to a southern location in the United States.

A four-year member of the Fighting Irish golf team at Notre Dame, Anderson made the traveling team his final two years.  His best season came during his junior year when he was named to the NCAA Academic All-America Team and the Big East All-Conference Team in 1999-2000.

In the summers following his junior and senior years, Anderson stayed on campus to help run the Nike Junior Golf Programs, working as a camp counselor and an on-course instructor.

Anderson arrived at DWU after spending three years teaching math and science while coaching various sports teams in Oklahoma City and Kansas City.  During his time in Kansas City, he worked as an assistant golf professional at Staley Farms Golf Club.

Originally from Plankinton, S.D., Anderson won the Mitchell City Golf Tournament in 1999 and 2006.  He is married and lives in Mitchell with his wife, Heather.

For more information on becoming a Tiger golfer, fill out an online golf questionnaire and Coach Anderson will contact you.

Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams

Graduate Assistant Coach
California Baptist University ’10 – B.S.

Jessica Williams begins her second season as the graduate assistant coach for Dakota Wesleyan University in 2011-12.

Williams arrived in Mitchell after playing four years of competitive college golf.  She played her first three years at NCAA Division-I Longwood University in Virginia and competed in her final year at California Baptist University (NAIA).  While at Longwood, Williams achieved Division I All-Independent Second-Team honors and was named to the Division I Independent All-Newcomer Team.  In addition, she was a scholar-athlete all three years at Longwood.

In her final year at California Baptist, Williams was an NAIA All-American Second-Team honoree, and she won the Cumberlands/MidSouth Spring Invitational in Kentucky.  In addition to these honors, she also represented her team at the NAIA Women’s Golf National Championship, where she helped lead her team to a third-place finish.

A multisport athlete, Williams also played on the varsity basketball team while attending California Baptist University.

In May 2010, Williams graduated from CBU with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, and she is currently pursuing a master’s degree in educational policy and administration at Dakota Wesleyan University.

Her parents are Mike and Connie Williams, and she has one younger brother, Tim.

Williams is a native of Johnstown, Ohio.