WINTER PARK, Fla. (May 7, 2026) – At the conclusion of the 2026 season, Tars women's golf legend
Julie Garner will step down as Head Coach. She will remain with the program for the next season, continuing her role as Director of Golf to handle alumni and community relations as well as team logistics to assist the new Head Coach in the transition. Garner served as Head Coach for over 30 seasons; this marks the end of her third stint as Head Coach of the Tars as she took the reins in 1984-87 and 1996-97 before rejoining the program in 2000.
Garner has led Rollins to a record six NCAA Division II National Championships while also finishing runner-up five times in her career. The Tars have also won seven of their eight Sunshine State Conference Championships with Coach Garner at the helm of the program.
She has been named the WGCA Division II National Coach of the Year four times (2003, 2006, 2015, 2016) and Sunshine State Conference Coach of the Year five seasons (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2015).
Garner has coached six WGCA National Players of the Year (Charlotte Campbell 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006; Annie Dulman, 2014, 2015) and three Sunshine State Conference Golfers of the Year (Jennifer Beames 2003, Charlotte Campbell 2004, 2006). She also coached the Tars' first Phi Beta Kappa honor society inductee, Katharina Hesse. The team has garnered the highest team GPA of all sports at Rollins many times, and is consistently among the highest team GPA's in women's college golf.
"It has been an honor and the highest privilege to be the head coach of women's golf at Rollins," said Coach Garner. "I am retiring from the job of a lifetime. I have given Rollins everything I have, but it is time for new leadership and fresh vision for the future of the program. I will be at Rollins for the upcoming season to help the new head coach transition to our campus community and to get the momentum started on the next great era of Rollins women's golf."
On December 2, 2018, Garner was inducted into the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Hall of Fame.
"Julie's impact on Rollins College is nothing short of extraordinary," said Rollins Associate Vice President for Athletics
Pennie Parker. "Leading our women's golf program unprecedented succes
s, she set a standard of excellence that will endure for generations. More importantly, she built a culture defined by integrity, academic achievement, and genuine care for her student-athletes. We are profoundly grateful for her leadership and the legacy she leaves on this institution."
With Garner's leadership, Rollins has finished in the top four at the NCAA Division II Championships 13 times, including a run of four straight national titles from 2003-06.
Coach Garner shared the following:
As I started my first go round here in 1984 at the age of 21, I had no idea where my path would lead. In my wildest dreams, I could have never envisioned the success that our student-athletes would achieve, or the level of fulfillment that I would gain from the experience.
I owe so many people for the joy that this job has brought. First, I'd like to thank the student-athletes who trusted us to help them learn and grow and start their paths to life success here in Winter Park. Nothing makes me prouder than the meaningful lives and productive careers of our alumnae.
Next, I'd like to thank those supersTAR alumni and friends who have given us so much support over the years. From the installation of our "OG" indoor facility, to the fantastic new building we share with tennis, as well as the gorgeous conversion van that replaced our beloved Sprinter, we have never had the worry about how we will acquire the resources we need to remain competitive. I am grateful for all the donations, however big or small. They are all indicators of how much this program is loved.
I am thankful to have had a supportive administration during my decades here.
Pennie Parker has been a part of so many championships; I know she is looking forward to blocking or muting my number so that she never has to read another text from me. I am grateful for her patience and support to let us dream big.
Grant and Peg Cornwell are huge fans of Rollins sports and for our team. I'm so glad we were able to win the NCAA Championship in 2016; they were there to greet us upon our return to campus from Colorado. I'm sorry we weren't able to bring them another during their tenure here, but the first one is always sweet. I'm fortunate to call them both friends. And I am excited for the road ahead for the College and our team under President Brooke Barnett's enthusiastic leadership.
I am so thankful to have had assistant coaches who were curious students of the game. Naree Song has blossomed, and is thriving as the head women's golf coach at Harvard, aka the Rollins of the North. Dev Naik was a tremendous asset to this campus and to our program. I'm confident the foundation that these two ladies helped to build will allow our student athletes to achieve all the success they are willing to work for. If Naree and Dev are the extent of my coaching tree, I would count that an unequivocal success.
Lastly, I'd like to thank my very small and exceedingly tight circle of true friends who have cheered our success, lamented our losses, made me laugh out loud, listened when I needed it, and set me straight when tough love was the answer. I am so appreciative of the people who have made me better. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to invest more time in my relationships with family and friends. And I will forever be a huge fan of Rollins Women's Golf.
Thank you and Go Tars!
The search for a new head coach of the women's golf team will be underway soon. The job will be posted on the
Rollins Careers page as well as
NCAA Marketplace, hopefully within the next two weeks.
