GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College Athletics Department welcomes Ben Potter as the new head coach of the Quakers Men's Golf program, the department announced on Thursday.
""I'm thrilled to welcome Ben Potter to Guilford Athletics," Director of Athletics, Bill Foti said. "He has a proven record as both a successful player and coach in the ODAC. I am particularly excited about his demonstrated success in recruiting. Guilford has a very proud history in Men's Golf, winning more ODAC championships than any other school. I'm very confident Ben Potter is the right man to continue that tradition and lead our nationally respected golf team."
"First I would like to thank Dr. Farmbry and Bill Foti for the opportunity to lead the golf program," Potter added. "This place (Guilford College) has such a storied history, and I am excited to be able to be a part of its future, and the Guilford College family."
No stranger to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), Potter comes to Guilford after spending the last five seasons coaching, and the past seven years total, right up Route-29 at Averett University. After playing his final two seasons of collegiate golf with the Cougars, he was entrusted with the reigns of the men's golf team in May of 2019 and enjoyed much success during his time in Danville. AU rose to be ranked as high as seventh in the Golfstat Division-III National Rankings. In 2023, he led the Cougars men's golf team to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, and first since 2003.
While there, he coached a pair of Division III Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award winners, both of whom were his own recruits. He had a trio of players earn All-American honors, ten All-ODAC selections, the 2023 ODAC Rookie of the Year, and guided the Cougars to two team tournament wins, and saw ten individuals win a tournament.
When Averett added a women's golf team beginning in the fall of 2021, he overtook coaching duties of that program as well, serving in the role of Director of Men's and Women's Golf for AU.
As a player, Potter split his collegiate career evenly between Averett and NJCAA school, Johnston Community College, completing a degree in Marketing. He was a member of the 2016 squad at JCC that won Region X in the NJCAA and competed in the National Championship event.
Potter inherits a men's golf team in a strong situation, returning all five of their scorers from a squad that finished fourth at the ODAC Championship last season, including All-ODAC selections
Parker Cumbea (Fuquay Varina, N.C.) and
Oliver Paddon (Hingham, Mass.), in addition to All-America Honorable Mention, National Tournament Individual qualifier, and conference individual champion
James Alden (East Northport, N.Y.).
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