FERGUSON NAMED OCAA GOLF COACH OF THE YEAR

CORNWALL, Ont. - Katie Ferguson of the Georgian Grizzlies is the 2011 Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) golf coach of the year.

A former two-time OCAA and national women's individual champion, Ferguson is also member of the OCAA Hall of Fame.

Ferguson led the Georgian Grizzlies to two team silver medals at the recent OCAA golf championships at the Cornwall Golf and Country Club. Eric Adamo came within two strokes of an individual medal, placing sixth overall with a total score of 224 to lead Georgian's men's team to its best finish in two seasons. Five Grizzlies in total placed in the Top 19, including Paul Ngimat (227, 10th overall), Keegan Tyers (228, 13th overall), Frank Giacomelli (229, 18th overall) and Nolan Knill (230, 19th overall). Only one Georgian golfer placed in the Top 20 last year. Georgian is the defending national bronze medalists.

Jasmine Paton earned her second consecutive individual bronze medal in the women's  competition, finishing with a three-day total of 262. Nicole Belcourt placed fifth overall, four-strokes behind Paton. Both Grizzlies combined to give Georgian a women's team silver medal.

Ferguson has been at the helm of the Grizzlies for six seasons. She has been instrumental in growing and developing both men's and women's programs. She was a member of the CN Canadian Women's Tour for six years and her experience and expertise is valued by all of her student-athletes. She has introduced golf-specific fitness, golf health and golf bio-mechanics to the program and has raised the bar for all involved.

As a former three-time academic all-Canadian, Ferguson understands the importance of combining academics with athletics at the college level and mentors her players on study skills such as time management and exam preparation. Ferguson has three main coaching goals each season - that all her student-athletes be successful in their academics; to work with her student-athletes to achieve their goals and aspirations; and to have all team members perform to their maximum potential.

Ferguson is OCAA's nominee for the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Golf Coach of the Year.

- OCAA -

ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) is a recognized leader in intercollegiate athletics in the province, dedicated to student athlete and sport development. The OCAA has 31 members sponsoring 16 league and tournament championships.

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Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
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