Wolverines Welcome Back Unruh as Assistant Coach
7/15/2024 5:00:00 PM | Women's Golf
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan women's golf head coach Jan Dowling announced Thursday (July 18) the return of former assistant coach Mandi Unruh to the program.
Unruh returns to Ann Arbor after spending three years away from golf. Before her break and starting her family, Unruh spent five seasons (2017-21) with the Wolverines as an assistant under Dowling.
"We are thrilled to welcome Mandi back to the Michigan golf family! We were a great duo for five years and I'm excited to partner with her again," said Dowling. "Coaching is in her blood. She has a knack for simplifying this complicated game of golf with her teaching method. On top of that, she brings a vibrant personality and connects so well with our athletes. I have great trust in her recruiting abilities as she was instrumental in recruiting three of the greatest golfers we've ever had at Michigan (Ashely Lau, Hailey Borja, and Monet Chun).
"Mandi brings great energy. She shares our team values of passion, hard work, and keeping our environment fun while pushing to new heights. I can't wait for this new and exciting chapter to start!"
In her five seasons in Ann Arbor, Unruh was instrumental in U-M's rise in the Big Ten and nationally with three NCAA appearances.
"I am thrilled to have this opportunity to return to the University of Michigan and coach alongside Jan again," said Unruh. "Working with one of the top coaches in the country at one of the best universities in the world was, and is, a dream come true.
"I have thoroughly missed coaching the last few years and when this opportunity came up, I knew I had to reach out and see what could happen. I could not be more excited to hit the ground running. I am fortunate to have another opportunity to represent our block M again and look forward to the future in Ann Arbor."
Upon her arrival, she found success immediately in the 2016-17 season. Unruh helped the Maize and Blue to a top-five finish at the 2017 Big Ten Championships, earned a second straight NCAA regional bid, and advanced to a second straight NCAA Championships. In the finals, U-M closed with the program's highest finish at the national championship (T16th) led by U-M's first All-American Elodie Van Dievoet, who tied for fourth (219) in the finals.
After the 2020 spring, postseason, and the following fall were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Unruh helped Dowling and the Wolverines post five straight top-five team finishes in the spring of 2021, capped off with a runner-up finish at Big Tens, a top-five finish at the NCAA regional, and a return to the NCAA Finals.
Starting the 2021 postseason, the Wolverines used an 858 (-6) championships total to post a Big Ten runner-up team finish thanks to the play of Big Ten Freshman of the Year and All-Big Ten first-team honoree Chun (T9th) as well as first-teamer Ashley Lau (T3rd and second-teamer Hailey Borja (T16th). In total, all five Wolverine starters finished among the top 25 individually.
With that conference finish, U-M earned a trip to the 2021 NCAA Columbus Regional, where it used an 885 total and a runner-up finish from Chun (215, -1) to tie for fifth and advance to the NCAA Finals for the fourth time. In the finals, Borja became the first Wolverine to advance to the final stroke-play round, tying for fifth with a 286 (-3) -- a program NCAA 72-hole record. Paced by Borja's performance, U-M recorded another top-20 national finish (903, 20th).
Before coaching at Michigan, Unruh spent two seasons as an assistant coach with Tulane (2014-15) and a season at IUPUI (2013-14).
A native of Kent, Ohio, Unruh played for legendary coach and father, Mike Morrow, at Kent State (2008-12). She helped the Flashes to four consecutive Mid-American Conference crowns. She was a two-time second-team All-MAC selection (2011, '12) and twice finished among the top 10 at the MAC Championships.
Unruh, and her husband, Ryan, reside in Ann Arbor with their daughter, Harper, and dog, Reese.
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