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Coach Profile

Head Men's Golf Coach, Indiana University

Mike Mayer

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Mike Mayer is in his 26th season at the helm of the Indiana men's golf program in 2022-23. He has propelled Indiana golf to the top of the Big Ten Conference and numerous NCAA postseason appearances while also building the program into one of the nation’s best in the classroom. The men’s golf team has posted a perfect multi-year Academic Progress Rate score of 1000 in each of the last 13 years and 14 of the last 15 years.

In his 25 seasons, he has had 16 players receive All-Big Ten honors, including four-time honoree Jorge Campillo (2006-09) and three-time recipient Jeff Overton (2002, 04-05).

The 2020-21 campaign, all of which was played in the spring, was filled with success for the Hoosiers. Indiana began the year with a title in the Big Ten Match Play Championship and finished with the first trip to NCAA Regionals since 2013. Clay Merchent earned the program’s third Big Ten Freshman of the Year award and set the Indiana program record for a freshman average with a 72.46. Merchent finished in the top-21 or higher in every stroke play event this spring, including four top-10 finishes and a pair of top-5 finishes. Ethan Shepherd also earned conference honors, as he was named Second Team All-Big Ten. The Hoosiers finished sixth in the Big Ten Championship, the best since 2013, before earning a bid to NCAA Regionals, where they finished in ninth place.

In the 2019-20 shortened season, the Hoosiers posted a pair of top-5 team finishes, including third at the Steelwood Collegiate. Indiana had a pair of top-10 individual finishes at the Steelwood Collegiate as Ethan Shepherd and Brock Ochsenreiter tied for ninth. The Hoosiers were led in scoring by Mitch Davis, who averaged a 73.81 and finished in the top 30 in four of six events, including a pair of top 20 finishes.In 2018-19, Indiana ended the year by posting its best finish in the Big Ten Tournament since 2013, tying for seventh place. IU earned eight top-10 tournament finishes, including three in the top five. Brock Ochsenreiter led Indiana last season in scoring with a 72.56 average and enters the 2019-20 season with the fourth-best scoring average in Indiana history (73.44). The Hoosiers also saw an impressive campaign from Mitch Davis, whose 73.27 average was the second-best ever for an IU freshman.

In 2017-18, the Hoosiers posted four top 10 team tournament finishes, including a pair of third place finishes. The season was capped off by junior Jake Brown earning an individual bid to the NCAA Championship. At the Bryan (TX) Regional, Brown tied for 14th at 1-under par and narrowly missed advancing on to the finals.

The 2016-17 squad posted a pair of second place finishes at the Northern Intercollegiate and the Hoosier Invitational. Individually, the team was led by senior Andrew Havill and his 73.81 scoring average to go with two Top 10 finishes. Redshirt sophomore Jake Brown closed the season with a T10 finish at the Big Ten Championships in Baltimore.

In 2015-16, redshirt freshman Jake Brown posted a scoring average of 74.29 for the year, the fifth-best single season scoring average by a freshman in IU history. Brown also logged a 62 in the final round of the Loyola Intercollegiate at Palm Valley Golf Club in Goodyear, Arizona on March 1, which was one shot off the school record for a single round.

Mayer mentored David Mills (2010-14) during his career, helping him record a career scoring average of 74.09, which ranked eighth all-time at IU upon his graduation. During Mills’ senior season in 2013-14, the Hoosiers captured the NYX Hoosier Invitational crown, making it 11 straight seasons with at least one tournament victory for Mayer.

IU claimed three team tournament victories in 2012-13, giving Mayer 25 wins in his career at Indiana. The started the season with a tremendous team effort to get a win at the Northern Intercollegiate and then finished second at the Wolf Run Intercollegiate in Zionsville. In the spring, the Hoosiers claimed back-to-back wins at the Mission Inn Spring Spectacular and the NYX Hoosier Invitational.

Brant Peaper was named to the First Team All-Big Ten as well as the PING All-Midwest Region team as he led the team with a season stroke average of 73.43, which ranks 20th all-time in IU history.

The 2011-12 season saw Mayer guide the Hoosiers to a pair of tournament victories (Firestone Invitational, Boilermaker Invitational) in addition to six other top 5 team finishes. The team finished second at the Big Ten Championships in French Lick and advanced to the Greensboro Regional of the NCAA Tournament, where they finished ninth.

Individually, Chase Wright and David Mills were named First Team All-Big Ten as well as PING All-Midwest Region team by the GCAA.

Coach Mayer added his 19th and 20th tournament titles during the 2011 Spring season at the Wexford Plantation Intercollegiate and the adidas Hoosier Invitational. The squad finished the 2011 campaign with four titles, as the Hoosiers captured the Firestone Invitational and the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate in the Fall of 2010.

The Hoosiers also collected team titles during the 2010 season at the Renaissance Intercollegiate and the adidas Hoosier Invitational. Indiana also had three other top-5 team finishes.

In 2009, his Hoosiers could be found in the national top-10 rankings for much of the season, ascending as high as No. 4 in the country.

The Hoosiers netted Coach Mayer two more team championships in 2009. Indiana won the inaugural Big Ten Match Play Championship and adidas Hoosier Invitational, an event IU won by a whopping 27 strokes over the second place team.

Two of the best, if not the two best golfers in IU history have played under the watchful eye of Coach Mayer. Current PGA Tour member Jeff Overton played from 2002-05 while Jorge Campillo graduated in 2009. Overton and Campillo own the best career scoring averages in school history and combined for four All-American recognitions. In addition, Overton and Campillo are two of the five golfers in conference history to win back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Year accolades.

Both Hoosier greats totaled nine Big Ten Player of the Week honors in their four years as Hoosiers, tied for the most weekly awards in Big Ten history.

Mayer, the 2008 Midwest Region Coach of the Year, guided the Hoosiers to their best NCAA finish since 1980 when IU finished 21st in 2008. Campillo tied for second place in the country by shooting a 1-over-par 289 at the NCAA Championship.

Mayer was named the Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2006 as well. He was also recognized as the Big Ten Coach of the Year that season after leading the Hoosiers to their third consecutive NCAA Regional appearance.

Mayer registered at least one all-conference selection each of his first 12 seasons. Alex Martin joined Campillo on the 2009 All-Big Ten team. Martin was also named to the 2010 All-Big Ten squad.

In 2005-06, Campillo shattered Overton’s freshman scoring average, ending the season with a 72.67 average. Campillo was also named Big Ten Freshman of the Year by a unanimous vote and became the first IU rookie since Overton in 2002 to be selected to the All-Big Ten team. The Caceres, Spain, native earned a spot on the PING All-Midwest Region team following the season. Chase Wright excelled as a freshman in 2009, posting the second-lowest freshman scoring average in school history (73.96). During Indiana’s 2004-05 campaign, Mayer led the Hoosiers into the NCAAs for the second straight year. Indiana also corralled its best finish at the Big Ten Championships since 1998, finishing in second place - five shots behind Michigan State.

At Big Tens, Overton became the first Hoosier since Shaun Micheel in 1991 to win medalist honors. He plowed through the field with a record-tying total of 199.

One of the greatest seasons in program history came in 2004-05. For the first time since the 1996-97 season and the first time in his tenure, Mayer led the Hoosiers into the NCAA postseason. IU finished tied for 20th at the Central Regional, and Overton became the first Hoosier since Randy Leen (1998) to advance to the NCAA Championships.

In addition to returning to the NCAAs, Mayer led Indiana to four team titles, the second-most in school history and the most in a single season since 1974-75. Mayer also coached Indiana’s first All-American since Leen (1998) in Overton. Along with Overton, Mayer helped develop Heath Peters into one of the top golfers in the conference. Peters narrowly missed advancing to the NCAA Championships, tying for 30th at the NCAA Regionals. He finished the year earning a spot on the All-Midwest Region team and was a second team All-Big Ten member.

The success derived by Mayer is even more rewarding given Mayer’s familiarity with IU. He is an alum of the university and spent nine seasons as an assistant coach under Sam Carmichael before taking over the Hoosier men’s program in the fall of 1998.

During those nine seasons as an assistant coach, Mayer was a part of two Big Ten Championships and a trip to the NCAA Championships.

In his first year as head coach, Mayer had the pressure of repeating what the team had accomplished in 1998 - winning a Big Ten Championship. Though the Hoosiers did not repeat, he helped set the foundation for what is once again one of the top programs in the conference. In that first season, Mayer had his first All-Big Ten recipient, as Brent Landry was named to the all-conference squad.

Individual accolades have not only come for Mayer’s golfers on the course, but also in the classroom. During his tenure, Indiana golfers have earned 97 Academic All-Big Ten honors, including a program record eight in 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2017.

Additionally, 18 Hoosiers have been recognized as All-America Scholars under the leadership of Mayer entering the 2019-20 season. Over the last two seasons, a total of five Hoosiers have been named All-American Scholars. Drew Allenspach received the honor in 2009 addition to being named an Academic All-American by ESPN The Magazine.

Mayer has brought the Hoosiers into the Big Ten spotlight as the conference has emerged as one of the best in the nation. A big asset in Mayer returning the program to prominence has been his strong recruiting classes.

Mayer has brought in three of the top four IU golfers of all-time in terms of lowest career stroke average. The top three single-season averages also belong to Mayer recruits. A pair of All-Americans and Big Ten Champions in Campillo and Overton came to Bloomington in the Mayer Era.

Before Mayer embarked upon his coaching career, he worked as the sports editor for the North Vernon Plain Dealer and Sun as well as a sports writer and columnist for the Bedford Times Mail. Mayer also has held the position of Golf Course Manager and Superintendent at Muscatuck Country Club located in North Vernon, Ind.

A 1975 graduate of Jennings County High School, Mayer obtained degrees in journalism and English literature from Indiana in 1987, and went on to receive his master’s degree in sport management from IU in 1998. Mayer also serves as the Director of Golf at Indiana University in charge of the IU golf facility and is a Class A member of the Professional Golfers Association of America and a Class A PGA Professional.

Born on Feb. 17, 1957, in Seymour, Ind., Mayer married the former Kimberly Collier on July 26, 2005. The couple resides in Unionville and have two children, Zachary Collier and Ty Mayer.

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