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What Kim Wicox has done in her short tenure as UAB's head women's golf coach is astounding. In just four years at the helm of the Blazer women's golf effort, Wilcox has overseen a dramatic turnaround in the world of college golf as UAB has climbed from being ranked in the lower portion of the 100-200 best NCAA Division I programs at the end of the 2002-03 season, to breaking the top-100 after an outstanding fall in 2004. The Blazers entered the fall of 2004 as the 98th-best team in America, according to GolfStat. After the team's outstanding fall season, the Blazers entered the spring of 2005 ranked 62nd overall. To put the icing on the proverbial cake, Wilcox helped guide 2004-05 senior Brooke Mangan to become UAB's first-ever NCAA Regional Tournament participant, marking the first time UAB women's golf was invited to the postseason. Wilcox, who is also the executive director of the Birmingham Golf Association, has compiled a 225-277-4 record in four seasons as UAB's head coach. She has coached UAB to two of its four all-time team tournament victories in her short tenure and has guided individual Blazer golfers to titles on five ocassions. More impressively is the continued improvement of the team and individual stroke averages of her golfers. The fall average in 2004 was 11 shots better than a year before. That average improved five from the year before. Individually, every player on Wilcox's rosters have chipped away at their respective stroke average, proving she is not only one of the most promising team coaches in America, but an individual instructor as well. The team's success has grown with the individual accomplishments. After a 65-70 season in year one (2002-03) which was highlighted by a South Alabama Lady Jaguar Invitational Tournament victory for UAB, Wilcox improved the Blazers in year two. The 2003-04 campaign saw the Blazers notch a 76-67-1 overall head-to-head record and finish in the top three at two different tournaments. The Blazers were runners up at the Miss Louis Season Opener and came in third at the Samford Women's Intercollegiate. Last season, Wilcox led UAB to unprecedented success as the Blazers won the Miss Louis Season Opener and two different individuals took home tournament titles. Wilcox began her collegiate golf career by playing on scholarship at Auburn. From there, she became an office manager at Micro National, Inc. from 1983-91, where she was responsible for the accounting and bookkeeping functions. In 1991, the Birmingham, Ala. native became the club manager and golf pro at the Pine Harbor Golf and Racquet Club in Pell City, Ala. While at Pine Harbor from 1991-99, Wilcox was responsible for the operation of the country club, writing and publishing the monthly newsletter and day-to-day operations. Under her direction, membership grew from 270 to 400. In 1999, Wilcox left Pine Harbor to become the Executive Director at the Birmingham Golf Association. Her responsibilities include tournament operations, media relations and an extensive junior golf tour each summer with 200 children. While with the Birmingham Golf Association, Wilcox also worked as the media relations and junior golf coordinator for the Dixie Section of the PGA where she was responsible for running the junior golf program for over 300 children annually. Wilcox also completed an internship at the Alabama Golf Association. A four-year letterwinner at Auburn, Wilcox was the runner-up in the Alabama State Women's Amateur Championship in 1988 and won over 50 tournaments as a junior golfer. She has also earned Achievement Certificates in Rules and Tournament Administration from the USGA/PGA in 1993, taught at Gillette LPGA Clinics in Atlanta from 1996-98 and currently conducts annual local junior clinics. Wilcox and her husband, Bill, have two children, Sarah and Will. Sarah is a senior nursing major at Auburn University. Will is a sophomore psychology major at Clayton State University, where is a member of the men's golf team. |
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