Entering her ninth season at New Mexico State, head women's golf coach Joann Cox has become one of the nation's premiere collegiate coaches. In eight seasons with the Aggies, she has received conference Coach of the Year honors six times and in 2000, Cox was named National Golf Coaches Association's National Coach of the Year, the first NMSU coach to receive the award.
Under her watch the Aggies have experienced success both on and off the course. From 1997-2003, NMSU won seven-straight conference championships, seven conference individual championships and appeared in the NCAA West Regional 11 consecutive seasons. Cox has mentored five All-Americans, 29 first team all-conference selections, and four Second Team All-Big West honorees.
The Aggies have also excelled in the classroom. In seven years under Cox, the NMSU women's golf team has had 17 academic all-conference honorees and 13 National Golf Coaches Association Scholar All-America members.
In 2003, Alena Sharp became the first woman in program history to earn first team Academic All-America honors. In 2002 she was named Third Team Academic All-America.
This fall, the Aggies recorded three top five finishes in six tournaments, including a tie for second at the Price’s “Give ?Em Five” Intercollegiate. In the squad’s season opener at the Badger Invitational, Cox and the Aggies placed fourth with a
Last season, the team’s final season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, Cox guided the Aggies to a second place finish at the Sun Belt Conference Championships as four members of the squad took home all-conference honors.
In 2003-04 Cox guided a young Aggie squad to five top-10 finishes, including second-place finishes at the 2004 Bay Area Classic and the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Championships. Although as a team the Aggies lost in a playoff at the conference championships, sophomore Lehua Wise won the conference title, shooting second and third-round 73s for a total 222.
In 2002-03, Cox spearheaded another strong team towards a return trip. Although the Aggies, as a team fell short, finishing tied for 11th in the NCAA West Regional Championships, Cox coached junior Alena Sharp to a tie for 22nd in the NCAA championships. Cox and the Aggies also added their third-straight Sun Belt Conference Championship in 2003, including an individual championship for Alena Sharp. In 2001, Cox helped the Aggies an 11th place finish at the NCAA Championships.
During the 1999-2000 season, Cox skippered the team to its fourth consecutive Big West Conference Championship and fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Championships where the team had the best finish of any Aggie squad since the 1991 season. Along the way, the team finished in the top 10 in all eight regular season tournaments, and in the top 5 in four of those events.
Aside from her national coach of the year award, Cox also secured her third consecutive Big West Conference Coach of the Year honor that season.
Cox prides herself on her ability to attract quality students, as well as superior athletes. For two consecutive seasons (1998-99), an NMSU women’s golfer was selected by the NCAA as its New Mexico Woman of the Year. LPGA player A.J. Eathorne earned the honor in 1998 while Australia native Rachel Duncan earned the honor for the 1999 season. Kate Dunn won the award in 2002. The award is designed to honor the most athletically, academically and socially well-rounded female student athlete from each state.
During her 16 years of experience as a head coach and an NMSU assistant coach under Jackie Booth and Paul Brilliant, Cox has helped the Aggies to eight NCAA appearances and coached several players who have joined professional circuits such as Eathorne, Jane Egan, Lori Poling, Cece Studer and Jacque Vigil.
Cox was named head coach at New Mexico State on Aug. 26, 1997, becoming only the third individual to head the program.
In addition to working with the women’s golf team, Cox also serves as an instructor in the College of Physical Education at NMSU. She also has her LPGA Class A license and serves as an assistant golf professional at the University Golf Course.
Cox is a 1983 graduate of New Mexico State where she received her bachelor’s degree in biology.
A natural athlete, Cox was a three-sport standout at Metuchen (N.J.) High School. She earned two letters each in basketball and field hockey and one letter in softball. She was named the field hockey team’s most improved player as a sophomore.
In addition to her accomplishments on the playing field, Cox was also an honors student, graduating from high school in just three years.
Cox and her husband Leon, an associate professor in engineering technology at NMSU, have two children, Madison and Jens. They reside in Las Cruces.
