PEORIA, Ill. ? Citing personal reasons, Dave Schliepsiek has resigned as the Bradley University men's golf coach effective immediately. Rob Bogardus will serve as the interim coach for the remainder of the spring while the school begins a search for a permanent replacement, Bradley Director of Athletics Ken Kavanagh announced today.

“We greatly appreciate the many contributions that Dave has made to BU Athletics since he assumed the reigns of the program in the summer of 2002. In turn, we comprehend how important it is for him to attend to more important family matters at this juncture and fully support this difficult decision. The young men who have been under his direction have been fortunate to have had his leadership at their disposal. Far more than pointers on how to improve their golf games, Dave provided each of them an opportunity to learn about dealing with life long issues.”

A Caterpillar, Inc., retiree, Schliepsiek was in his third year as the men's golf coach at Bradley. Among his accomplishments, Schliepsiek led the 2003 Braves to a sixth-place finish at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships, the team's best showing since a fourth-place finish at the rain-shortened 1995 Valley Championship. In addition, he coached Andy Mickelson to all-conference honors in 2003, Bradley's first All-MVC performance since 1993 (Tim Fritz).

Bogardus is in his second year as the Director of Ticket Operations at Bradley. Prior to coming to Peoria, Bogardus previously served as the ticket manager and the guest services manager at the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla. Practically a scratch golfer, his background includes a stint coordinating a junior golf program at the Catskill (N.Y.) Golf Club. Bogardus played collegiate baseball at Concordia College in Bronxville, N.Y., and he coached the Peoria Junior American Legion baseball team last summer.