by staff–28 Apr ’16
University of Wyoming head coach Joe Jensen has been named the 2015-16 Mountain West Men’s Golf Coach of the Year, as announced Thursday by the league office.
It is the first MW Coach of the Year accolade for Jensen. Now in his 14th season, Jensen has directed the Cowboys through an impressive campaign, highlighted by finishing in the top-five in eight of the eleven tournaments played.
“First and foremost, I have to give credit to this year’s team that I am very fortunate to work with,” UW head coach Joe Jensen said. “There is no doubt they had a great year. Everyone in the athletic department has helped us and been great along the way. We wanted to finish a little better than we did, but nonetheless we still had a great year. Lastly, it truly means a lot. I am so grateful for the other coaches to nominate me and to recognize our program.”
UW’s sixth-place finish at this year’s MW Championships was its best since the Pokes took sixth in 2005. Sophomore Drew McCullough became just the seventh Cowboy to finish in the top-ten in the 17 years UW has competed in the MW Championship, and on April 6, Jensen helped junior Ryan Wallen become the first MW Golfer of the Week since David Hearn earned the award on April 20, 2000.
The men’s golf team was one of two teams at Wyoming to post a perfect APR score of 1,000, as the NCAA released its annual data last week. It marked the fourth consecutive reporting period that the Cowboy golf team recorded a perfect score based on its four-year average. Under Jensen’s guidance, Wyoming golfers have garnered 11 all-conference accolades and ten Academic All-American honors. He has also directed Mike Urbatchka and Gabe Maier to NCAA Regional Tournament appearances.
Jensen was a member of the Cowboy golf team during the 1992-93 season, turned professional in 1993, and became an assistant golf pro at the Jacoby Golf Club. He earned his bachelor’s degree in arts and sciences from the University of Wyoming in 1998 and completed his MBA at UW in December of 2006. Jensen was hired as the Cowboy golf coach on Dec. 7, 2001 and named Director of Wyoming Golf on Aug. 18, 2005.
