The University of Akron Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- (330) 972-8021
Jenny King, who has built The University of Akron women's golf program from the ground up, enters her 16th competitive season at UA after being named head coach in April 2007.
After 15 seasons, the program has grown into a competitor, against both non-conference competition and Mid-American Conference foes. Through 15 seasons, the Zips have won an Individual MAC Championship, eight team tournaments, earned 15 individual tournament titles and posted 54 top-five finishes. Additionally, individual honors have included eight All-MAC selections (Jacinta Pikunas - 2018 First Team; Danielle Nicholson – 2018 Second Team, 2017 First Team, 2016 First Team; Kristen Hill – 2012 First Team, 2011 First Team, 2010 First Team, 2009 Second Team), 15 MAC Golfer of the Week honors (Nicholson, 6; Hill, 6; Frida Fougberg 3; Pikunas, 1; Hanna Ek, 1; Katie Jenior 1; Her, 1), two Mac Freshman of the Year award (Pikunas - 2018; Nicholson – 2016), and a MAC All-Tournament Team honor (Nicholson – 2016).
For the 13th-consecutive season, at least one Zip earned Women's Golf Coaches Association All-America Scholar status. In 2012-13, Akron set a school record with five student-athletes earning All-America Scholar designation. The team's stellar performance in the classroom helped Akron finish in the top-15 in team GPA in the nation (14th, 3.654) for three-straight years (2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13), just one of three programs across all divisions of women's golf to do so during that stretch (Lee University, Otterbein University). UA finished with the fourth-best GPA in the nation in 2011-12, the highest finish in program history.
Akron is coming off a stellar 2017-18 campaign that saw newcomer Jacintia Pikunas grab the MAC Freshman of the Year and First Team honors. Pikunas led the Zips scoring average (74.59), edging out veteran Danielle Nicholson by less than half a stroke (74.88). Pikunas broke Akron's single round scoring (66, -6), two-round scoring (138, -6) and 54-hole scoring records (210, -6) as she recorded her first collegiate tournament win at the Ball State Cardinal Classic. Pikunas earned MAC Golfer of the Week accolades and proceeded to lead the Zips through the Fall schedule. During the Spring portion of the schedule Nicholson reemerged as the team's leader, leading the Zips' scoring in 6-of-7 events. Nicholson claimed three Golfer of the Week awards in a five week span after successfully defending her tournament title at the Rio Verde Invitational (214, -2) and two runner-up showings at the Kingsmill Intercollegiate (222, +6) and the Colonel Classic (144, E) -- 36-holes due to weather. As a team, Akron posted one win and eight Top 5 finishes with two individual wins and four runner-up finishes. Akron finished fourth at the MAC Championships as Nicholson and Pikunas tied for seventh overall.
In 2016-17, Akron followed a strong showing from the previous year with two tournament wins and nine finishes inside the Top 6 as a team. Danielle Nicholson won two tournaments and posted 10 Top 25 finishes en route to a second All-MAC first team recognition. Nicholson successfully defended her title at the 36-hole Roseanne Schwartz Invitational with a 142 (-2). She proceeded to find success at the Rio Verde Invitational, finishing first with a 215 (-1) 54-hole score for medalist honors. Nicholson was runner-up the following week at the Bradley Spring Invite with a 218 (+5) three-round score. The Zips finished sixth overall at the MAC Championships as Pader Her drained a hole-in-one on the final day of competition.
The Zips had a historic 2015-16 campaign that was capped with a first-ever Individual MAC Championship by freshman Danielle Nicholson. Akron set multiple school records en route to a team win and eight Top 10 finishes in 10 events. Akron posted three individual wins (Nicholson, 2; Fougberg 1) and set new records in best individual team round (E, 288, Johnie Imes Invitational, Sept. 28, rd. 2), best two-round team tournament score (+13, 589, Johnie Imes Invitational, Sept. 28), best three-round team total (+23, 887, Johnie Imes Invitational, Sept. 28-29), best individual round score (Fougberg, 69, MAC Fall Preview, rd. 1; Nicholson, 69, MAC Championship, rd. 1), best individual 54-hole tournament score (Nicholson, -5, 211 MAC Championship), and best 36-hole tournament score (Nicholson, -4, 140, MAC Championship).
In 2014-15 campaign, the Zips posted seven top-10 finishes in 10 events. Three Zips earned WGCA All-America Scholar status, including Laura Murray, Mallory Etcheberry and Alejandra Velasco-Villanueva. Murray became just the fourth student-athlete in program history to earn the honor in all four years of her Akron career. Both Murray and Etcheberry earned Academic All-MAC status, as well.
In 2013-14, the Zips entered play as one of the younger squads in the Mid-American Conference. In all, UA would post eight top-10 finishes in 10 events, including a tie for fifth place at the league championships. Four Zips would earn WGCA All-America Scholar status (Sara Chaves, Laura Murray, Frida Fougberg and Mallory Etcheberry), with Chaves, Fougberg and Murray earning Academic All-MAC honors.
In 2012-13, King guided the Zips to eight top-10 finishes and saw then-freshman Frida Fougberg lead the Zips in scoring average (78.50), top-25s (six) and tied for the lowest round of the season (71). Akron also pleased four student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC list, including redshirt seniors Ek and Tyler Etcheberry, Chaves and Murray.
The 2011-12 season will be remembered as the winningest season in program history. In all, the Zips captured two team and two individual tournament titles, including a sweep of the Fourth Annual Zippy Invitational. Jenior guided the Zips to a 24-stroke victory at the event, the second-consecutive title at the event for Akron, with a school-record two-round score of 145 (+3). The victory was the first for Jenior and earned her MAC Golfer of the week. In all, the Zips posted four top-10 finishes in five events in the fall of 2011.
The spring of 2012 saw the Zips post five top-10s in six events, including a wire-to-wire win at the EKU Colonel Classic and a fourth-career individual title for Hill. Hill's clutch birdie on the 18th and final hole of the tournament secured the victory. At EKU, the Zips showed determination to hold onto a two-stroke advantage entering the final day, pulling away from the field to win by seven strokes. UA concluded the season with a fifth-place showing at the MAC Championships, highlighted by top-25 finishes by Jenior (13th), Hill (t14th) and Butler (t23rd).
In 2010-11, Ek, Butler, Tyler Etcheberry and Jenior were all named Academic All-MAC, with Ek making the first team. Ek was also named to the Capital One Academic All-District® Women's At-Large Second Team for District IV by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the first player in program history to earn that honor. Ek has a 3.973 cumulative GPA through the 2011-12 academic year while studying mechanical engineering.
After a successful 2010 fall campaign, the 2011 spring season saw the Zips break several school records as a team and by an individual. As a team, Akron broke the school record for a single-round team score (293) and three-round team score (891) at the Lumberjack Shootout at Wigwam (March 14-16, 2011). Their score of 293 during the final round came one day after the Zips tied the school record with a round of 296. The three-round score of 891 broke the previous program mark by 19 strokes. The season also saw Hill earn two MAC Golfer of the Week honors as the Zips would finish the year with five top-six finishes in six events, capped off with a tie for fourth place at the MAC Championships. Additional records for the season included Hill bettering her season average (75.21) and career average (76.27) marks.
The fall 2010 season saw the Zips reach new heights as Akron won its first team title in program history at the Third-Annual Zippy Invitational (Oct. 11-12, 2010). Behind five top-25 performances, the Zips won the team title by four strokes. Ek earned the program's fourth individual title in 28 events, taking 2010 MAC Preview individual honors (Oct. 18-19, 2010). UA finished in the top-10 in all five events.
During the 2010 spring campaign, the Zips closed out the season on a strong note, posting four-consecutive top-five finishes. Akron just missed the program's first team title at the First Market Bank Intercollegiate (March 19-20, 2010), finishing seven strokes behind the tournament-winner William and Mary. The slate saw then-sophomore Hill win two individual crowns, earn two MAC Golfer of the Week honors and First-Team All-MAC.
After a pair of competitive showings in the first two tournaments of fall 2009, Akron hit its stride, sparked by a third-place designation (among 15 teams) at the Second-Annual Zippy Invitational in early October. UA then captured third place among a 16-team field at the Duramed MAC Preview (Oct. 12-13, 2009) the following week and capped off its impressive fall campaign with a fifth-place finish at the Ross Resorts Invitational (Oct. 26-27, 2009).
As a team, the Zips not only showed great resolve for such a young squad but took a wave of confidence, based on those early successes during the fall, into the spring 2009 season. The season was highlighted by the program's third runner-up finish at the Tina Barrett Longwood Invitational (March 30-31) at the Manor Resort Golf Club in Farmville, Va. UA carded 971 strokes (326-326-319) to capture second place among the competitive 12-team field.
First-year player Jenior led a trio of top-20 finishers for Akron with a 12th-place designation at Longaberger Golf Club in Nashport, Ohio, as UA made an instant impact at its first ever league championship (April 24-26, 2009). The spring slate culminated with a tie for third place at the MAC Championship. For her consistent play all year long, first-year standout Hill not only became the program's first MAC Golfer of the Week (Sept. 26, 2008) but also earned Second-Team All-MAC honors. Under King's guidance, Hill captured her first collegiate win in just her second tournament as a collegian at the Cardinal Classic (Sept. 22-23, 2008) at The Players Club in Muncie, Ind.
Moreover, UA golfers were getting it done in the classroom as well as three standouts - Butler, Ek and Etcheberry - were named to the NGCA All-America Scholar Team.
The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of collegiate athletics. The minimum cumulative grade-point average is 3.50 and student-athletes must have competed in at least 50 percent (Division I) and 66 percent (Division II and III) of the college's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year.
Butler, a sports management major at UA, posted a 3.52 GPA in 2008-09 while teammates Ek, a mechanical engineering major, recorded a 4.0 GPA and Etcheberry, a business major, carried a 3.67 GPA. Just 410 women's golfers were selected nationwide among Divisions I, II and III for the prestigious distinction.
This academic excellence has continued through 2010 as the Zips entered the spring campaign with a lofty cumulative team GPA of 3.25. Hill's development continued during summer when she qualified for the 2009 U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship, which features some of the most talented female amateur golfers in the nation.
With a handpicked, all-freshman starting lineup, UA hit the ground running in its inaugural season in 2008. The Zips burst on the scene with four top-10 finishes in five events during the fall, including back-to-back runner-up placings.
Prior to her arrival at Akron, King spent four seasons (2003-07) as an assistant coach at her alma mater, the University of Kentucky. Part of her role as an assistant with the Wildcats included her leading the junior varsity from 2003-05, assisting in the organization of the annual Wildcat Fall Invitational and practices, providing instruction and recruiting.
King led the Kentucky JV squad to three tournament titles, winning team titles in 2004 and 2006, and tallied one runner-up finish with the varsity team. While at Kentucky, eight different players earned Academic All-SEC and four were tabbed National Golf Coaches Association Academic All-Americans, while Beth Felts was named 2007 SEC Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Prior to returning to Kentucky, King was head coach at Transylvania University from 2001-03. During her first season as head coach, she led the Pioneers to a No. 23 national ranking in the NAIA. In 2002, the Pioneers climbed as high as a No. 16 ranking in the NCAA Division III polls after their transition from the NAIA ranks. Under her direction, Transylvania claimed four team titles and five individual student-athletes won medalist honors.
In addition, the Pioneers, who were Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference runners-up, qualified for the 2002 NAIA National Championship, where the squad placed 16th and Pioneer Catherine Benson finished runner-up individually, falling in a playoff. Benson would end her career as a two-time All-American, adding Academic All-America honors. Also under King's leadership, Claire Baugh and Kendall Stivers were named HCAC All-Tournament, Megan Williams was the 2002 HCAC Freshman of the Year and Danielle Lahmers and Stivers were selected HCAC Academic Honor Students.
King also has served as a PGA Apprentice, an assistant golf professional at the University Club of Kentucky in Lexington and as a golf operations assistant at Lexington Country Club. She additionally served as a golf operations assistant at Andover Country Club in Lexington.
A four-year member of the Kentucky golf team, King was team captain in 2000. During her collegiate career, she recorded one top-10 and three top-20 finishes, playing in 40 of the team's scheduled 44 tournaments during her career. She was a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll from 1999-2001 and was inducted into the University of Kentucky's Frank G. Ham Society of Character in 2000.
King, who lives in West Akron with her husband Jason, received her bachelor of business administration from Kentucky in 2001 and her Master of Education – with an emphasis in sports leadership – from UK in 2006.
