College Preview: Central Michigan Men and Women

By Andrew Sneddon

There’s a lot of new, but still plenty of familiarity, when it comes to Central Michigan golf.

First, the new.

The university has resurrected its men’s varsity golf program after a 37-year hiatus, while its women’s program is under new leadership as former Adrian College and Cleveland State coach Ryan Williams took command in late July.

The Chippewa women return their entire lineup, led by the history-making duo of junior Ashley Goh and sophomore Casilda Allendesalazar. In April, Goh tied for ninth in the Mid-American Conference Championships, becoming the first Chippewa to post a top-10 finish in the tournament; Allendesalazar was named to the All-MAC Second Team, becoming the first in CMU women’s golf history to earn All-MAC honors.

The Chippewa women have indeed come a long way since the program’s resurrection in 2014-15. They won three of the five stroke-play tournaments they played during the fall, 2021 season. The roster includes the top six career scoring leaders, and that group has rewritten the record book in its time in Mount Pleasant.

Kevin Jennings is CMU’s men’s coach, and the new roster has nine players, including three Michiganders. Eight are freshman, led by Royal Oak Shrine graduate Jeffrey Andrus, winner of the 2022 Division 4 state title.

A native of Benton Harbor, Jennings coached both the men’s and women’s programs at Prairie View A&M the past five years. In 2021, his Panther men’s team won its third consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference championship. In May, Jennings was inducted into the African American Golfers Hall of Fame in the College Golf Coach category. 

CMU sponsored varsity men’s golf from 1936-85.

“We’re a new program so we’re going to take is slow and make sure that we’re learning,” Jennings said. “We have to make sure that we set the foundation in the proper way. Solid scheduling, and to play with those programs, is one way to move toward becoming an elite collegiate program.”