Halley Morell Named Bradley Women’s Golf Head Coach

Women's Golf 6/6/2019 9:50:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Former Jacksonville State Assistant Golf Coach Halley Morell will be just the third Bradley Women's Golf head coach since 1997, according to an announcement by Bradley Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Chris Reynolds Thursday.

A LPGA Certified "Class A" Teaching Professional, Morell comes to Bradley after serving as assistant men's and women's golf coach at Jacksonville State during the 2018-19 season. The former collegiate golfer at Robert Morris (Pa.) and Penn State also was Women's Golf Assistant Coach at UTEP for two years (2016-18).

"Halley is a rising star in collegiate golf and we are excited to have her lead the Bradley University Women's Golf program," said Reynolds. "She brings a championship pedigree as both a collegiate player and assistant coach and is a proven teacher of the game."

"I'm excited and grateful for this amazing opportunity being afforded to me by the athletic administration at Bradley," said Morell. "The success of the program and the student-athletes, not only as athletes, but also as individuals, will be a top priority as we work to expand upon the strong foundation already in place. I look forward to helping our student-athletes strive to be successful both on the course and in the classroom."

This past year, Morell helped lead the Gamecocks to four team tournament titles (three men's and one women's) and four individual medalist crowns. In fact, the Jacksonville State men's golf squad, which produced a trio of All-Ohio Valley Conference performers, earned its third consecutive OVC title in 2018-19 and played in the NCAA Men's Golf Championship Louisville Regional last month. On the women's side, Morell helped guide the Gamecocks to a third-place conference finish, powered by the play of OVC Freshman of the Year Claire Vermette.

"Our women's golf student-athletes have made terrific strides on the course, in the classroom and in the community," Reynolds added. "I am confident Coach Morell is equipped to lead our women's golf program to even greater heights."

A native of Brecksville, Ohio, Morell has been active with LPGA since 2017 when she served as Teaching & Club Professional Intern and National Championship Intern at LPGA World Headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla. Last summer, she was Event Coordinator for the LPGA Foundation, organizing LPGA Leadership Academies to help keep high school girls engaged in golf, in addition to assisting at LPGA tour events. Morell will continue to assist with LPGA Lesson Zones this season, along with serving as an instructor at LPGA Leadership Academy events.

Prior to her time at Jacksonville State, Morell was Assistant Women's Golf Coach at UTEP for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Ranked #172 in the Golfweek.com rankings before Morell arrived in El Paso, Texas, the Miners closed the 2017-18 campaign at #110 after a second-place Conference USA finish, which was the team's best league showing since a 2011 title. UTEP earned a pair of team tournament titles and produced three individual medalists during her two-year tenure with the team. While at UTEP, Morell earned a Master's in Business Administration with Management Concentration in 2018.

A 2016 graduate of Penn State, Morell spent her junior and senior seasons in State College, Penn. after playing her freshman and sophomore seasons at Robert Morris. During her collegiate career, she earned one medalist crown, a pair of runner-up showings and nine top-five finishes, in addition to being named the 2013-14 Northeast Conference Co-Player of the Year. The 2016 Big 10 Sportsmanship Award winner for women's golf, Morell also earned Big 10 Distinguished Scholar honors.

As a sophomore, Morell led Robert Morris in stroke average and capped the season with a runner-up finish at the NEC Championship. In addition to her Co-Player-of-the-Year recognition, Morell also garnered NEC Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year honors for the 2013-14 season. She holds the Robert Morris marks for lowest 54-hole tournament score, in addition to the best season and career stroke averages in program history.

Morell has appeared in five professional tournaments (four as an amateur), highlighted by a fifth-place finish at the 2017 LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals Southeast Section event at TPC Sawgrass in her lone outing as a pro. She has placed in the top 10 at the Women's Western Amateur Championship twice, earning ninth-place showings in both 2014 and 2016. Her accomplishments also include playing in the 2013 USGA Women's Amateur Pub Links National Championship along with the 2016 USGA Women's Four Ball Championship.

Prior to turning professional in March 2017, Morell was ranked 627th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and had a USGA Handicap of +2.2. During her collegiate career, she was ranked as high as 278th in Golfweek.com collegiate women's rankings.

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