The Drew women’s golf team have been competitive in multiple matches, with one of their most recent wins coming at the Drew Spring Brook Invitational. This recent success for the Rangers could be the effect of the new coaching style of Coach John Manos. Manos was previously the Rosemont College golf head coach from 2015-21. He has become just the second golf head coach in Drew University history.
At the invitational, as a team, the Rangers shot a 353 to outdistance runner-up Scranton (392)—the best team score in the history of the invitational, taking one stroke off the former mark set by Drew in 2017. Juniata College placed third with a 436, while Stockton University followed with a 463.
Nyah Sanders (’24) carded Drew’s second-best round, finishing in a three-way tie for second in the field of 23 with a 90. Jenna Du Plooy (’22) was next for the Rangers, placing fifth with a career-low, 91—five strokes less than her previous best. Cassidy Conklin (’22) rounded out the team scoring with a 92 to place sixth. Natalie Stilo (’22) was also in action and took ninth with a 99. The standout player of this match was Kayla Diaz (’24), who captured medalist honors, carding an 8-over-par 80 to win by ten strokes.
Diaz closed out the fall season by winning medalist honors in all three of her tournaments. She started by securing the Muhlenberg Invitational, shooting a seven-over-par 77 to beat out 37 other golfers while helping the Rangers finish second place. She followed up with a victory at the Drew Spring Brook Invitational, carding an 80 (+8) to win by 10 strokes and aided Drew to the team title. Diaz ended the week by winning the Landmark Conference Fall Preview. She posted a three-over 75 for a six-stroke victory while helping her team to a runner-up showing.
Manos follows Maura Ballard, who guided the Rangers from their inception in 2016 until she retired from coaching last month. When Manos coached at Rosemont, he led the Ravens Institute to become one of the top-tier programs in the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC). As coach, he won the CSAC title in each of the last three years that a conference championship was held (2018, 2019, 2021), and all three teams also appeared at the NCAA Division III Championships. Additionally, he was awarded the CSAC Men’s Golf Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2021. With this resume, Manos and the Rangers may take the Landmark Conference by storm this season.
