Men's Golf Assistant Coach Keenan Hickton has resigned from his post at Emory University after being announced as the new Head Coach for the men's golf team at Sewanee. Hickton's tenure as Emory's assistant coach began in the fall of 2018, overseeing three UAA Championships and three top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships.

Hickton's coaching career at Emory wrapped up with the program's top finish at the NCAA Championships when the Eagles finished tied for third this past spring. Under his supervision, the Eagles produced 23 All-American performances, 24 All-Region nods and 23 All-UAA awards.

Hickton has seen some of the most decorated golfers in Emory's history come through the program. He helped to coach Matt Organisak, Max Schwarz, and Jackson Klutznick – a group that has compiled 10 All-America awards over the course of their time at Emory. Hickton also oversaw the Eagles' first Jack Nicklaus Award winner when Klutznick became the first to win the award in program history this past season.

"Attending Emory in 2014 to play for [Head Coach] John Sjoberg has been one of the best decisions of my life," Hickton said. "As a player, I am proud to have registered 88 rounds for the Eagles including three straight UAA Championships from my sophomore to senior season… Emory offers a premier student-athlete experience. Our golfers, including myself, have had the opportunity to receive a world-class education without sacrificing an elite college-athletics experience."

He cited the Eagles' rise to prominence on the Division III scene as one of his proudest accomplishments as a coach.

"As a coach, I am most proud of the dramatic improvement of the program over 9 years playing and coaching," Hickton said.

Hickton competed at Emory from 2014 through the spring 2018, compiling a very successful playing career. He was named to the All-UAA team three times, being a first-team performer during his junior and senior campaigns while earning a second-team nod in his sophomore year. Hickton experienced a successful senior season in 2017-18, earning the UAA Championship's Most Valuable Player award en route to the Eagles hoisting another conference championship banner. Head Coach John Sjoberg thanked Hickton for his time at Emory and looks forward to competing against him for years to come.

"Keenan has been an instrumental part of our program for the past 9 seasons," Sjoberg said. "First as a player, then as assistant coach, he was a huge part of the success we've sustained for almost a decade. Starting his sophomore year we have made the NCAA tournament 8 straight years. He has been a part of 6 UAA championships and 22 team wins as a player and a coach. In 6 of the last 7 years, our team has been ranked No. 1 in the country.  He was great to coach because he is a golf junkie. He loved practicing and competing. It is tough to find someone that worked harder at their game than he did. As a coach, Keenan's ability to relate to our team and bring out their best efforts will be missed.  Sewanee is in good hands and we look forward to competing against him this fall!  We wish him the best of luck and hope he beats everybody but the Eagles."

Hickton and Tigers will get their season underway when they compete in the Rhodes Fall Invitational on September 22^nd and 23^rd.