July 10, 2001
Columbia, Mo. - Former University of Missouri women's golfer Stephanie Cooper was named head coach of the Tiger Women's Golf program, as announced today by Associate Athletic Director Peter Fields.
Cooper, a 1994 graduate of Mizzou (B.S., Education), will return to her alma mater after a very successful stint as head girls golf coach at Columbia (Mo.) Hickman High School for the past six years (1996-2001). Her record at Hickman was 62-15-1 over that span, and her Kewpies recorded four district championships (1995, '96, '99, '00), and top-10 state championship finishes in five of six years (4th in 1995, 2nd in 1996, 6th in 1997, 7th in 1999 and 8th in 2000).
Cooper, 29, also served as the Hickman boys golf coach from 1998-2000, and compiled a record of 39-13-4 in that three-year span, notching two district championships (1999, '00) and three top-10 state showings (5th in 1998, 10th in 1999 and 6th in 2000). She also amassed a 56-5 record the last three years as head coach of the Hickman girls junior varsity basketball team.
A native of Seymour, Ind., Cooper played at MU for former coaches Mary Scott and Tom Loyd from 1990-94. A multiple-time Dean's List honoree, Cooper was named academic All-Big Eight as a senior in 1994.
"I'm very excited to be coming back to such a wonderful institution," said Cooper. "It really means a lot to me to have the opportunity to shape the future of a program of which I already care deeply about. I'm thrilled to have the chance to stay involved in the Columbia community, and I'm ready to get out there and put my plan into action," she said.
Fields, who oversees the women's and men's golf programs for the department, spearheaded the search process, and said that Cooper was a natural fit for the position.
"We went through an extensive and thorough search process, and I'm pleased that we found the best person right in our backyard," Fields said. "With Stephanie, we've identified someone who knows Mizzou, who knows the local and statewide golf community, and has a built-in love of the program. I think it's interesting that she is one of only two MU graduates among the head coaches of our 20 sports (Cross Country Coach Jared Wilmes is the other). She's demonstrated that she is an excellent teacher of the game of golf, and I'm confident that her enthusiasm and energy will help her relate well to our student-athletes," he said.