SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Matt McPhillips has been named the second head coach of the Union College women's golf program, Director of Athletics
Jim McLaughlin '93 announced on Tuesday. McPhillips takes over for
Mary Ellen Burt, who will retiring from her role at Union at the end of June.
"I would like to thank Jim, Beth and the search committee for this wonderful opportunity here at Union College," McPhillips said. "The foundation that has been laid by Coach Burt has set a standard that I intend to uphold. I am very excited to get to work with the team this fall and beyond!"
"We are very excited to welcome Matt to Union College as our next head women's golf coach," McLaughlin said. "Throughout the interview process, Matt's wealth of golf knowledge and the attentiveness to both the on-course and off-course experience of his student-athletes were very apparent and will make him a great fit for our department. Throughout its young history, the women's golf program has taken great strides forward under the direction of Mary Ellen Burt and the team is poised for greater success in the future with Matt leading the way."
McPhillips comes to Union following a three-year stint at the College of Saint Rose, where he began as an assistant coach with the men's and women's golf teams before taking over the top role with both Division II programs in April 2022.
In his first complete season as head coach in 2022-23, he guided the women's team to a fifth-place finish and the men's team to an eighth-place finish at the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. His first full year with the program resulted in multiple school records during the 2021-22 campaign: the women's team set a school record by carding a round of 320 and three-time All-Conference honoree Erika Fuentes recorded the first under-par round in program history, while All-NE10 performer John Del Priore set the school single-round record on the men's side with a five-under 66.
In addition to his time with the Golden Knights, McPhillips has worked at Pinehaven Country Club as Director of Instruction (since 2021) and Assistant Golf Professional (since 2017), and previously was the Head Golf Professional at Stratton Mountain Country Club for five years. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Northeastern New York PGA, which honored him with their Player Development Award in 2022 and Professional Development Award in 2021. He obtained his PGA membership in 2019 and was certified as a PGA Teaching and Coaching Specialist in 2020.
A native of Canberra, Australia, McPhillips received an International Baccalaureate Diploma from Berlin-Brandenburg International School in 2004. Matt resides in Rotterdam with his wife Katie and son Jack.
The Union women's golf program is the newest varsity offering at the College, playing its first season in 2012-13. The program has shown near continuous improvement since its inception, lowering the school single-season scoring average in eight of its first 10 years, and recently finished third at the 2023 Liberty League Championships.
