Crimson Hawks enjoy years of success

For the past 20 years, one IUP team has continuously dominated its sport. No, it's not basketball or football, but the Crimson Hawks golf team.

Head Coach Fred Joseph has mentored the team for 20 years, bringing enormous success to the program.

Prior to and during his tenure as the coach of IUP golf, Joseph served for 29 years as the financial aid director for IUP, before retiring from that position in 2001.

Before coming to IUP, Joseph graduated from the University of Mount Union with a bachelor's degree in physics and math. He later earned a master's degree from Kent State in higher education.

Clearly, Joseph brought his intelligence to the fairways in coaching his team.

Joseph worked under Don White for four seasons before he took the reins as head coach.

White coached the team to four -straight conference titles from 1989-1992. After that, Joseph didn't win a conference title until 1997, his first as head coach.

From 1997-2001, the IUP men's golf team won four out of five PSAC championships. It then recaptured a spring title in 2004, making Joseph one of the most successful coaches in the game today.

IUP is currently riding a streak of four-straight PSAC titles. The team also won a fall title this season. As for Joseph, he has built a report of accolades.

Along with being a nine-time PSAC champion, Joseph was also named the Coach of the Year nine times. In Joseph's time as coach, he led the IUP golf team to 14-straight NCAA Tournament bids. Joseph also produced teams that won three regional championships.

In 2009, IUP's Gavin Smith won an individual Division II National Title. Smith became only the fifth golfer from a Northern school to capture the Division II title and is the first IUP student to win since Rick Hrip won the NAIA Title in 1968.

Now it is junior Brad Boyle who is manning the reins for the Crimson Hawks.

Boyle is a fine golfer and is well respected by Joseph and the rest of the team.

"[He is] one of the few players we've ever had that could play professional golf," Boyle said.

Boyle has won two tournaments this season. Boyle, along with sophomore Derek Baker, led the team to a fall PSAC championship.

 "I hope that the team heads to nationals and that he hopes to participate in the individual tournament as well," said Boyle.

IUP finished first in four events in the fall and finished first in the St. James Plantation Invitational on March 13, with Boyle capturing first in the individual there.

The next tournament for IUP is the West Chester Invitational April 3 and 4. The team then plays at the IUP Country Club April 10 and 11.

The Super Regionals are in the beginning of May in Hershey, followed by the NCAA Championships in Alabama.