| Jan Mann |
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An accomplished sculptor, Virginia women's golf coach Jan Mann spends countless hours transforming a mound of clay into a finished piece of art. At the last two men's U.S. Opens held at Pinehurst, her statues of the club's signature Putter Boy have been sold to the public.
Now in her fourth season directing the Cavaliers, she has accomplished the same result for the UVa golf program. In a remarkably short period of time, she has started a program from scratch and molded it into one of the nation's best programs.
It was all by design.
This year marks the inaugural senior class for Virginia which first fielded a team in the fall of 2003. In just four years, the Cavaliers have gone from upstarts to a top-10 team looking to make its second trip to the NCAA Championships in the last three years.
The evolution was all part of Mann's plan when she was tabbed by Virginia on June 18, 2002 to be the school's first women's golf coach. She hit the recruiting trail and used a six-woman freshman class as the foundation for Virginia's first team. That group - Ashley Mayo, Kira Mayo, Lindsay Robinson, Sally Shonk, Rachel Smith and Leah Wigger - will always be known as the cornerstone for the program.
While none of those players were a PING All-American or considered a "Blue Chip" recruit, under Mann's direction, they displayed remarkable improvement. After a predictable up-and-down first season, the Cavaliers qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2005.
After finishing third at the ACC Championships and fifth at the NCAA East Regional, the Cavaliers placed 13th at the NCAAs. Virginia was led by the runner-up showing of sophomore Leah Wigger, who was also second at that year's NCAA Regional.
Virginia finished the year ranked No. 22 by GolfStat and No. 28 by Golfweek and Wigger earned honorable mention All-America honors. The team was recognized by the ACC as the recipient of its Spring Sportsmanship Award for women's golf.
Mann was recognized by the team's accomplishments by being named the 2005 ACC Coach of the Year.
Last season the Cavaliers came within a single shot of making a return trip to the NCAA Championships. After a runner-up finish at the ACC Championships, the Cavaliers lost a one-hole playoff to Alabama at the NCAA East Regional for the final berth to the national championship.
Wigger qualified as an individual competitor and went on to a post a ninth-place finish. At the conclusion of the season, she was named a second-team All-American by the NGCA and Golfweek, the first Virginia player to receive that honor.
Last fall the Cavaliers achieved another first for the program by winning a tournament title. Virginia placed first at UNC Wilmington's Landfall Tradition. Ironically, it was a tournament that Mann helped to start when she was the head coach for the Seahawks.
Virginia enters its 2007 schedule ranked seventh in the Golfweek standings with Wigger 12th in the individual standings and sophomore Jennie Arseneault 15th.
Mann's student-athletes have performed just as well in the classroom. Over the last three years 16 UVa golfers have been named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Women's Golf Team and the team has produced the highest GPA of any Virginia athletic program the past two years. Six times UVa golfers have been named to the NGCA Academic All-America team.
Mann's tenure at UNC Wilmington lasted eight seasons. Recognized as one of the top golf instructors in the country, Mann led UNC Wilmington to its first-ever NCAA Regional appearance in 2002 as well as to the Big South Conference championship. Named the 2002 Big South Coach of the Year, Mann has coached first-team All-Big South and Conference Player of the Year Becca Dean.
For seven consecutive seasons, Mann's squad maintained the highest grade-point average of UNCW's 19 athletic teams including the recognition of nine National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Academic All-Americans. In 2002, 10 of her 11 student-athletes earned a 3.27GPA or better. The team received the school's 2001 Leadership Award for exceptional performance in the classroom, in the community, and on the playing field.
Additionally, Mann served on the NCAA Women's Division I Golf Committee and co-chaired the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the LPGA Coaches Advisory Committee. She served on the NGCA Education Committee. In October 2003, Mann was named Chair of the NCAA Women's Division I Golf Committee. Golf Digest recognized her in 2000 and 2001 as one of the top teachers in North Carolina. In July of 2003, Mann coached the U.S. to its eighth straight win in the USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship in Sano, Japan. In May 2005, Mann was elected as the Division I representative on the NGCA's Board of Directors. She also serves on the NGCA Awards Committee. She is on the Board of Advisors for the Charlottesville-area First Tee program.
A native of Jacksonville, N.C., and a cum laude graduate of UNC Wilmington, Mann is a Class A member of the Professional Golf Association (PGA) and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Teaching and Club Professional Division.
She began her golf career as an assistant golf professional at the Cape Golf and Racquet Club and later at Echo Farms Golf and Country Club in Wilmington, N.C.
With her career emphasis on teaching, Mann moved to Point Clear, Ala., where she joined the teaching staff of the John Jacobs Golf Schools. Mann returned to North Carolina in 1991 as a teaching professional at Pinehurst. She assumed the responsibility as director of the Golf Schools and the Teaching Center. She remained in that position until joining the UNCW Seahawk staff in 1994.
Since 1993, Mann has also designed and sculpted statuettes for her own business, Mann's Art Productions. Projects include the "Seahawk" for UNCW, the "Pirate" for East Carolina, the "Golf Lad" for the 1999 U.S. Open, and the "Golf Lad" for the 2005 U.S. Open.
Mann lives in Charlottesville with her husband, John. Their children- John, Robb, and Lindsay- all reside in North Carolina.
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