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Sarah Trew

Twitter - @FGCUCoachTrew or @FGCU_WGolf
Instagram - @FGCUCoachTrew

Sarah Trew is in her 11th season as the head women’s golf coach at FGCU in 2021-22. Since taking over in 2011, she has guided the Eagles to 46 top-five finishes, including 34 over the past six years alone. On top of that, she led the program to second-place finishes in the ASUN Championship in 2016, 2017 and 2019, which signifies the best finishes in program history, and the Eagles captured tournament championships in the Mid-American Match Play Challenge and the Amelia Island Collegiate in 2019-20.

Despite a challenging 2020-21 campaign due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Eagles posted their highest ranking of the Division I era at No. 94 in the GolfStat national rankings following the year. FGCU finished third at the ASUN Championship as part of four top-5 finishes during the year. Sarah Edwards was honored as the ASUN Freshman of the Year, while also being named to the All-ASUN First Team and All-Freshman Team. Laura Edwards was chosen to the second team marking the fourth league accolade of her career. Ailsa Clark and Haley Yerxa were both named to the ASUN All-Academic Team and the WGCA All-America Scholars team with Clark becoming the first player in program history to earn the WGCA honor five consecutive years.

In 2019-20, Trew led the program to arguably its best season in program history. After shaking off the rust in the first two tournaments of the fall, FGCU got things going with back-to-back top three finishes in the Jupiter Women's Invitational (10/15) and the Pat Bradley Invitational (10/22). Following that, FGCU won the Mid-American Match Play Challenge to open the spring and followed it up with another title in the Amelia Island College. Then, in their final event before the CoVID-19 shutdown, the Green and Blue finished second among a loaded 53-team field in the Kiawah Island Classic on March 3.
 
In all, FGCU produced a 67-1 head-to-head record in the spring season with its only loss coming to Kiawah Island Classic host and champion, College of Charleston. The Eagles produced a 295.44 team scoring average, which was three shots better than the previous program record of 298.88.
 
Individually, the Eagles were led by several players, highlighted by a pair of all-conference selections in sophomore Laura Edmonds and freshman Sarah Edwards. Senior Ailsa Clark also joined those two in giving FGCU three of the top five single-season scoring averages in program history.

In 2018-19, Trew guided the Eagles to a then program-record 298.88 scoring average, which included the first six sub-290 rounds since the program's inception and scoring records for 36 holes - 570 (-6) in the Johnie Imes Invitational - and 54 holes - 857 (+5) in the Spring Break Shootout. Edmonds burst onto the scene, becoming the program's youngest-ever ASUN Golfer of the Week, tallying six par-or-better rounds and breaking the single-season scoring average mark at 73.78, ousting Briana Carlson's 74.08 in 2010-11 from the top spot. Along with Madeline Marck-Sherk, the rookie was named Second Team All-ASUN.

Trew was also instrumental in FGCU’s six top-five finishes in 2017-18. The highlight of the season came when the team captured first-place in the MSU Citrus Classic, signifying the program’s first outright tournament championship since March 2008. She previously led the team to a share of first-place in the FGCU Eagle Invitational on Sept. 16, 2013.

That season also witnessed Natalia Nassar capture the ASUN Conference’s Freshman of the Year award, which represented the program’s first-ever major athletic award recipient. Also, for the first time since 2011, the team claimed three ASUN golfer of the week recipients (Kate Williamson (March 22), Marck-Sherk (March 15) and Nassar (Feb. 8) in the same season. It was also just the second time in program history the team won the award in back-to-back weeks. 

In 2016-17, Trew led the Eagles to six top-five finishes, including a second-place showing at the ASUN Championship, which tied a program-best. For the third time since she took over the program, her squad set a new record for team stroke average, carding 302.31 for the season, and the Green and Blue also produced a program-high 310 birdies. Senior Megan Blonien was named First Team All-ASUN, while Marck-Sherk earned Second-Team All-ASUN honors and Williamson earned both Second Team All-ASUN recognition and a spot on the ASUN’s All-Freshmen Team.

Continuing the terrific 2016-17 season, Marck-Sherk was named ASUN Golfer of the Week twice (Feb. 16 and Mar. 23). Additionally, she won the MSU Citrus Classic (-4), which represented the second-lowest 54-hole score in FGCU history.

Trew was named the ASUN Coach of the Year in 2015-16 after guiding the program to a record year. The Eagles produced a then program-best stroke average of 305.29 through the season and took a second-place finish at the 2016 ASUN Championship, helped by a program and FGCU-record 290 in the second round. Trew coached Mei Khuan Yong to First Team All-ASUN and Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition. Marck-Sherk also earned a spot on the ASUN’s All-Freshman Team, while Sara Detlefsen made the All-Academic Team. Overall, the team recorded eight top-10 and six top-five finishes. Yong and Madison Easterbook were both named ASUN Golfer of the Week during the season.

Prior to the past five seasons, Trew’s teams had several other accomplishments.

  • The 2014-15 team ranked second nationally among Division-I teams with a cumulative GPA of 3.781 while seven players earned a GPA of 3.50 or above.
  • Georgia Price finished seventh at the 2013-14 ASUN Championship, while Briana Carlson won the individual title at the FGCU Eagle Invitational en route to Second Team All-ASUN honors. That team also earned a 3.8 GPA in the fall and followed it up with an FGCU department record 3.92 in the spring en route to the second-highest GPA in the nation among Division-I institutions.
  • In 2012-13, Price earned Second Team All-ASUN recognition after capturing the individual crown at the Jacksonville Courtyard Classic and ASUN Player of the Week recognition earlier in the season. Academically, five Eagles garnered WGCA All-American Scholar recognition.
  • Trew’s initial campaign in 2011-12 saw FGCU produce eight top-10 finishes, including four within the top-five. The season concluded in the ASUN Championship as Chelsea Guoynes finished 14th individually. Prior to that, senior Fabienne Haremza finished second in the Holiday Inn Express Hatter Classic Nov. 8.

PRIOR TO FGCU
Prior to her 2011 arrival in Fort Myers, Trew spent five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Kansas. While there, she assisted with producing four team tournament championships and a program-best fifth-place finish at the 2009 Big 12 Championship.
 
Trew also assisted in coaching four individual tournament champions at Kansas, highlighted by 2007 Big 12 champ Amanda Costner, who was the first individual Big 12 champion in school history. Coster was also named the Big 12 Sports Person of the Year and began a string of three straight years that a Jayhawk earned first team All-Big 12 status.
 
Emphasizing the importance of academics, the team produced four Academic All-Americans and six Academic All-Big 12 selections under her assistance. Additionally, the program received the highest team GPA in the Kansas athletic department for six semesters, highlighted by a spring 2010 GPA of 3.62, which was the highest in Kansas athletics history.

PERSONAL
A 2006 graduate of the University of Arkansas with a double major in criminal justice and sociology, Trew was a three-year letter winner for the Razorbacks and an SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient from 2003-06. During her tenure in Fayetteville, which included competing with LPGA star Stacy Lewis as a teammate, she was instrumental in developing the program into a top-10 power while helping the team to its first-ever NCAA Championship appearance in 2005. In 2006, the Razorbacks returned to the NCAA Championship, finishing 10th overall after the four-round tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
 
Prior to becoming a member of the Razorbacks, Trew competed at the University of Georgia in 2002-03 where she played one season for the Bulldogs and redshirting another. While at Georgia, she was a Dean’s List honoree in 2002 and named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll both years.
 
Following graduation, Trew turned professional in July 2006 and competed in select events. She was a qualifier for the 2006 and 2007 finals of the Re/Max World Long Drive Challenge, finishing 11th in 2006 and earning a district championship with a 325-yard drive.
 
The Acworth, Ga. native was named to Marietta High School’s 10th Hall of Fame class in the fall of 2013. She resides in Bonita Springs with her wife Suzanne Ries who is the Associate Director of Facility Operations for FGCU Campus Recreation.

AWARD WINNERS WITH COACH TREW

WGCA All-American Scholars (31): Haley Yerxa (2021), Sarah Edwards (2020), Madeline Marck-Sherk (2017, 2018, 2019), Ailsa Clark (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), Mei Khuan Yong (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), Sara Detlefsen (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), Kelsy Holbert (2016), Georgia Price (2013, 2014, 2015), Rebecca Van Etten (2013, 2014, 2015), Madison Easterbrook (2015), Ashley Kimbrough (2015), Chelsea Guoynes (2013, 2014), Megan Van Etten (2012, 2014)
 
All-ASUN (12): Laura Edmonds (Second Team, 2021), Sarah Edwards (First Team, 2021), Laura Edmonds (First Team, 2020), Sarah Edwards (First Team, 2020), Laura Edmonds (Second Team, 2019), Madeline Marck-Sherk (Second Team, 2019), Kate Williamson (Second Team, 2017), Madeline Marck-Sherk (Second Team, 2017), Megan Blonien (First Team, 2017), Mei Khuan Yong (First Team, 2016), Briana Carlson (Second Team, 2014), Georgia Price (Second Team, 2013)

ASUN All-Freshmen Team (7): Sarah Edwards (2021), Laura Edmonds (2019), Natalia Nassar (2018), Kate Williamson (2017), Madeline Marck-Sherk (2016), Madison Easterbrook (2015), Kristin Swindell (2013)

ASUN Freshman of the Year (2): Sarah Edwards (2021), Natalia Nassar (2018)

ASUN All-Academic Team (7): Ailsa Clark (2021), Haley Yerxa (2021), Ailsa Clark (2020), Madeline Marck-Sherk (2019), Sara Detlefsen (2016), Mei Khuan Yong (2016), Sara Detlefsen (2015)

ASUN Scholar Athlete of the Year (1): Mei Khuan Yong (2016)

ASUN Golfer of the Week (14): Laura Edmonds (3/11/21), Sarah Edwards (2/11/21), Sarah Edwards (2/6/20), Laura Edmonds (10/3/19), Ailsa Clark (03/14/19), Laura Edmonds (2/21/19), Laura Edmonds (10/4/18), Kate Williamson (3/22/18), Madeline Marck-Sherk (3/15/18), Natalia Nassar (2/8/18), Madeline Marck-Sherk (2/16/17), Madeline Marck-Sherk (3/23/17), Madison Easterbrook (2/11/16), Mei Khuan Yong (2/18/16), Georgia Price (10/24/13), Chelsea Guoynes (3/27/13)

UPDATED: 8/12/21