ATLANTA, Georgia — Tenth-year TMU Golf Head Coach Jason Semelsberger was recently selected as the 2016-17 Golf Coaches Association of America NAIA West Region Coach of the Year.

Semelsberger was one of just four NAIA coaches honored by the GCAA.

The honor comes after an improbable season where the Mustangs experienced inconsistent play, but kept progressing and grinding throughout the Spring.

TMU floated in and out of the NAIA Top 25, but put it together when it mattered most by winning the Golden State Athletic Conference Championship and earning automatic qualification the NAIA Championships.

Coach Semelsberger built belief into his squad during three weeks of preparation for Nationals by continuing to challenge his team to not be satisfied with simply qualifying for the Championships.

The team followed their leader and ascended as high as fourth on the leaderboard on the final day of the tournament before finishing 11th.

Semelsberger’s playing career includes winning the California State Junior Amateur Championship in back-to-back years (’95,’96) before continuing on to an outstanding college career at UCLA.

During his time as a Bruin (’96-’01), Semelsberger continued to collect accolades. In addition to winning two NCAA collegiate events, he was also selected for All Pac-10 Honorable Mention honors, and qualified and competed in the 1997 United States Open Championship at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

Turning professional in 2002, Semelsberger played on the NGA Hooters Tour for two seasons and competed in the PGA Tour Qualifying School for five years. In 2005 he switched gears, becoming a professional golf instructor at Lakeside Golf Club and Valencia Country Club until 2007.

Coach Semelsberger began as the head golf coach at The Master’s University in 2007. During his tenure here at TMU, Semelsberger has earned 2010 NCCAA Coach of the Year, 2013 and 2015 GSAC Coach of the Year along with leading the Mustangs to the 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2017 NAIA National Championship Tournament.

Semelsberger has guided two players to achieve GCAA All-American honors in Kevin Anderson (’11) and Thane Ringler (’12,’13). In addition, he has led three players to earn GCAA All-American Scholar honors in Daniel Mothershead (’12), Nolan Sand (’13), and Ringler (’13).

The GCAA in conjunction with Golf Pride Grips announced the six outstanding collegiate golf coaches receiving the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award, for their respective Divisions presented by Golf Pride Grips.

Additionally, Regional awards were released for NCAA DI, DII, DIII, NAIA, and NJCAA Div I & II.