Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Submitted Article

Asbury Athletics named Joe Crouse the head men’s golf coach and received the National Christian College Athletics Association 2023 #KingChasing Institution of the Year Award; that was the week that was for the Eagles.

Asbury Athletics named NCCAA 2023 #KingChasing Institution of the Year

The National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) named Asbury University the NCCAA #KingChasing Institution of the Year. Asbury VP for Intercollegiate Athletics & University Communications Mark Whitworth, and men’s basketball head coach Will Shouse received the award on behalf of Asbury at the Annual NCCAA Convention.

The NCCAA #KingChasing program uses the four values of the Game Plan 4 LIFE – love, integrity, faith, and excellence – to enhance the purpose of collegiate athletics to be more than winning championships. The mission of the #KingChasing program is to keep Christ at the center of the student-athlete experience.

Joe Crouse named head golf coach

The Asbury University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced Joe Crouse as head coach of the men’s golf team. The Nicholasville native will begin his responsibilities immediately.

Crouse is a 1994 Asbury graduate with a BA in accounting and is a certified management accountant. While at Asbury, Crouse played on the varsity tennis team but has been playing golf for the better part of his life and currently holds a low, single-digit handicap. He follows Scott Ferguson, who was appointed lead pastor at Harvest Church in McCordsville, Indiana.

The AU men’s team returns junior Garrett Sturges and sophomore João Costa, both reaching early success in their Asbury golf careers. Sturges, a business administration major has earned NCCAA All-American honors in each of his first two seasons while tallying eight top-ten finishes. Costa, a sophomore business administration major won the Spalding Spring Invitational in his freshman season alongside multiple top-ten finishes.

AU men’s golf has made consecutive NCCAA National Championship appearances in the last two seasons after winning the NCCAA National Championship in Palm Coast, Florida in 2021.