Philip Nelson Named Racer Women’s Golf Coach

Murray State Athletics announced the hiring of Philip Nelson as the Racers' women's golf head coach.

Nelson comes to MSU from Colorado Christian to become the second head coach in Murray State women's golf history following the retirement of Coach Velvet Milkman.

Nelson arrives in Murray after five seasons as the women's head coach at Colorado Christian University, where he also assisted the men's golf program.

"Throughout his coaching career, Philip's teams have demonstrated success in all areas that directly align with our departmental core values and mission," said Scott Barnhart, the Racers' golf/sport administrator. "His teams have been strong academically and athletically. In addition to his passion and knowledge for golf, we believe one of Philip's strongest attributes is the ability to build a strong team culture. He has emphasized the importance of building great relationships both on his team and in the community. We are very excited to have Philip and his family join our department, university and the Murray community. We are proud of the storied tradition of success in our women's golf program and look forward to having Philip continue building upon that success."

"I want to thank Matt Kelly, Scott Barnhart and Coach Velvet Milkman for believing in me to carry on the rich tradition of women's golf at Murray State," Nelson said. "It is widely known that Murray State loves to compete across every team and this place is poised to win at a high rate including women's golf. I believe we can be very successful at Murray with the support we have behind the program from the university and the community as we move to the Missouri Valley this year. I can guarantee we will work to maximize potential on the course and in the classroom, and we will work hard to build a family culture in our team."

In the spring of 2022, Nelson was named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after his team won the conference championship, finished second at the NCAA D-II Regional after entering the event as the 11^th seed and then at the NCAA Finals, the Cougars posted a 12^th place finish.

Exhibiting outstanding leadership and golf instruction, Nelson built a championship level program at Colorado Christian that included four All-America selections, five NCAA All-Region picks, 18 All- Philip Nelson

Conference selections, two conference Player of the Year winners, and the #1 ranked women's freshman class in the nation in 2019.

In the classroom, Nelson's teams at Colorado Christian produced a national top-10 ranking in academic achievement in 2020 and 2021, and 11 WGCA Academic All Americans in the last 2 years.

Nelson is a proven teacher of the game having developed the student-athletes in his care and serving as a certified instructor for Craig Koy Golf where he worked with some of the nation's top amateurs and professionals.

As a player at Colorado Christian, Nelson was a multiple award winner while serving as team captain for three seasons and helping his team reach the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons.

As the main fundraiser for CCU Athletics, Nelson led the way for the school to achieve its highest fundraising total in program history in 2021-2022 and he also led the way to save the women's golf program from elimination. In the last two years, athletics fundraising tripled at CCU under Nelson's guidance. He also raised the money for and opened The Harriet Women's Golf Indoor Practice Facility in 2020.

"For the past 15 years, my wife and I have built a home in Denver and at Colorado Christian University, and we always said that it would take something special to pull us away from there. Well, Murray State is that special place and we are excited to join the Racer family. I was fortunate to work with amazing people and coach an awesome group of women at CCU. I am so thankful for the program that we built together. A coach is only as good as his players, and I have had some of the best. I look forward to continuing the success that Coach Milkman has built here at Murray State."

2022 Hall of Fame Dinner & Program
The annual Hall of Fame dinner is on the night of Nov. 11 at the CFSB Center. The 2022 class will also be recognized Nov. 12 at the Racer football game against Robert Morris (1 p.m. kick off) and a men's basketball game against a yet to be determined opponent. Hall of Fame dinner tickets may be purchased through the MSU ticket office online at GoRacers.com.

Racer Football Mini-Ticket Plan
Racer football three-game mini-plan packages are now available for purchase. The package includes a general admission ticket for the home opener vs. Jacksonville State (Sept. 10), vs. Eastern Illinois (Sept. 24) and vs. Robert Morris (Nov. 12). The home opener will be a night to remember as we "Light up the Stew" and giveaway 3,000 LED blue and gold glow boom sticks presented by CFSB. The Racers return home two weeks later for the always popular "Family Weekend", and finish out the season at home with Hall of Fame and Military Day. Each purchase of a 3-game mini-plan will also include one general admission ticket to a Racers home basketball game at CFSB Center during the 2022-23 season.

About Murray State Athletics
Located in Murray, Kentucky, the athletics department of Murray State University is a NCAA Division I member and plays in the Football Championship Subdivision. The Racers have 15 programs including men's teams for baseball, basketball, cross country, football and golf and women's teams for basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball, as well as a mixed gender rifle team. The Racers became members of the Missouri Valley Conference on July 1, 2022. The Racers will become a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2023. The MSU rifle program competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Murray State University Athletics

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