CLEVELAND, Tenn.-When John Maupin decided to walk away from the men's golf program he had built into one of the nation's best in NCAA Division II, the new Lee University athletic director wasted no time in recommending it be turned over to former player and assistant coach Evan Spence.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Evan as the Head Men's Golf Coach at Lee University," said Maupin after gaining approval from President Mark Walker. "I honestly believe we just hired one of the best young coaches out there. Evan, and his wife Haverly (Harrold), were both an instrumental part of our golf program as players, and now it will be a true joy to watch them lead our men's golf program forward.
 
"Evan helped lead us to the NCAA Region Championship and NCAA Quarterfinals as our team captain in 2021. He was invaluable as an assistant coach in 2022 as we won the National Championship.
 
"He has a deep knowledge of the game and I have no doubt he will continue to build on the foundation that has been laid. However, what excites me the most is his heart for leading with integrity, and the example and resource that he will be for the young men that come through our golf program."  

Spence was born and raised in Chattanooga and played high school golf at McCallie School. He joined the Lee golf team in the fall of 2016. During his playing career he was runner-up at the 2019 Bobby Nicholls Intercollegiate (Tennessee Tech's event) with scores of 69-69-68; had two top 5 (3^rd and 4th) finishes at the Gulf South Conference Championship in 2019 and 2021; qualified for the 2019 NCAA South/Southeast Regional Championship as an individual; was a two-time GSC All-Conference team selection, and a three-time NCAA Academic All-American.
Spence married fellow Lee All-American golfer Haverly Harrold in the summer of 2020 after both had received undergraduate degrees. His undergraduate is in Business Administration - Marketing Management (graduated Summa Cum Laude) and he also has an MBA from Lee.

As an assistant Lee coach, Spence helped the 2021-22 team win the 2021 Cougar Invitational (Columbus State), the 2022 Saint Leo Invitational, the 2022 Gulf South Conference Championship, and the 2022 NCAA National Championship. This past season he served as the volunteer assistant coach.

"Words cannot truly describe how excited I am to be taking over this program. I have been around Lee University golf for a long time, both as a player and a coach," said Spence as he expressed his feelings about the coaching opportunity. "I have grown to love it more as the years go by. It is a privilege to be a part of such a special group and I am humbled, honored, and grateful for the opportunity to lead this program to even greater heights now and into the future." "From a coaching standpoint, I have been a part of a lot of this program's success over the past several years and have seen firsthand what it takes to perform at a very high level in the most competitive region in Division II golf. I greatly look forward to pouring into our players and continuing to build upon the strong culture of excellence we have worked so hard to establish here."

He added, "First and foremost, I want to thank God for opening up this opportunity and I look forward to seeing how He is planning to use me, this University, and this golf program moving forward. I also especially want to thank Dr. (Mark) Walker, Coach (Larry) Carpenter, and Coach Maupin for entrusting me with this responsibility and allowing me to live out a dream I have had for quite some time now. This certainly would not be possible without them."