WORCESTER, Mass. — Holy Cross Associate Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Kit Hughes has announced that Steve Napoli has been elevated to the position of Director of Golf. 

The 2019-20 New England Coach of the Year, Napoli will now take over leading the women's program and will continue guiding the men's side, a program he has led for the past six seasons. Napoli's elevation to full-time Director of Golf is the first step in a restructuring of the men's and women's golf programs that will also include the hiring of an assistant coach for each team.
 
"I am extremely honored and grateful for the opportunity to lead the women's program while continuing to develop the men's program on the upward trajectory we have enjoyed in recent years," Napoli said. "I am also very thankful for the talented student-athletes that Coach Bibaud recruited to the women's golf team prior to turning over the reins."
 
Most recently in 2021-22, the Holy Cross men earned a sixth place finish at the Patriot League Championship, their highest showing at the conference tournament under Napoli's tenure and best since fourth place in 2011. During the 2019-20 season, Napoli led the Crusaders to their first tournament victory against Division I competition since 1998 when they captured the title at the Lehigh Invitational. 
 
"I am thrilled to restructure our program in a way that will allow us to create stability and consistency from the top down, while also building upon the strong momentum that Coach Napoli created on an interim basis this fall," Hughes said. "Our student-athletes have quickly benefitted from his experience, leadership and clear communication, and I look forward to supporting his vision for Crusader golf moving forward." 
 
Napoli has coached three All-Patriot League athletes including the program's first first team honoree since 2011 when Christian Emmerich placed fifth at the Patriot League Championships in 2022. Under Napoli's guidance, Emmerich was also named Academic All-Patriot League, and seven student-athletes have received Golf Coaches of America (GCAA) Academic All-American status for their performance on the golf course and in the classroom.
 
On the women's side, Napoli will guide a squad led by sophomore Manuela Herrera and junior Liz Garfield, who played eight rounds apiece in the fall season ranking first (81.75) and second (81.88) on the team in scoring average respectively. 
 
Napoli came to Holy Cross after serving as the director of golf at the Liberty National Golf Club in Jersey City, N.J. He was inducted into the New England PGA Hall of Fame in 2013.
 
ABOUT HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS
Holy Cross boasts 27 NCAA Division I teams as members of the Patriot League, Atlantic Hockey Association and the Women's Hockey East Association. Holy Cross' athletic teams are tied for first in the nation with an overall graduation rate of 99 percent, the second straight year in which the Crusaders have led the nation and the 15th consecutive year at 97 percent or higher. 
 
ABOUT HOLY CROSS
The College of the Holy Cross, in Worcester, Massachusetts — the second-largest city in New England — is among the nation's leading liberal arts institutions. A highly selective, four-year, exclusively undergraduate college of 3,100 students, Holy Cross is renowned for offering a rigorous, personalized education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition, and is one of only 85 colleges in America that meets 100% of students' demonstrated financial need. Holy Cross has made a positive impact in society since its founding in 1843 by graduating students who distinguish themselves as thoughtful leaders in business, professional and civic life.
 
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