SPRINGFIELD, IL – One of the discussions regarding which new sport will be offered at the University of Illinois at Springfield has been answered. The Prairie Stars have added men’s and women’s golf to the athletic offerings with 2007-2008 being the first season of competition.

“We’ve looked at a variety of sports to add to our existing athletic programs,” said Athletic Director Rodger Jehlicka. “Adding a men’s and a women’s golf team fits in well with what we currently offer, provides us with additional opportunities for competition within the American Midwest Conference and in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), along with continuing the winning tradition of our athletic department.”

The Prairie Stars will call the Piper Glen Golf Club their home course and looks forward to being able to host tournaments, dual, and triangular matches at the facility. Four schools in the American Midwest Conference (Missouri Baptist University, William Woods University, Hannibal-LaGrange College and McKendree College) began competing at the conference level in 2006.

“Piper Glen is one of the top courses in central Illinois. It is a challenging yet competitive intercollegiate course,” said Jehlicka. “We are excited to be able to call Piper Glen Golf Club our home course.”

With the addition of men’s and women’s golf, Athletic Director Dr. Rodger Jehlicka announced Jacksonville native Jay Davis as the head coach for both teams.

“Coach Davis brings a wealth of experience to the UIS golf programs,” said Jehlicka, “as a former NCAA Division I student-athlete, a collegiate assistant golf coach and as a professional golfer. A person of his caliber brings immediate credibility to the program and lets other institutions know that we are here to compete from day one.”

Davis began competing on the golf course as a member of the Routt Catholic High School team in Jacksonville, Illinois, where he was a Class A State Finalist in the Illinois High School Association tournament in 1986 and 1987.

Davis attended the University of Louisville where he received his bachelor’s degree in Correctional Administration in 1993. While at Louisville, he was named to the All-Metro Conference Team twice (1990, 1991), was voted the Team Most Valuable Player three times, was an NCAA Division I Honorable Mention All American twice (1990, 1991), and was an NCAA National Championship Individual Qualifier in 1991. Davis won the Illinois State Amateur Championship in 1990 and again in 1991 and was a U.S. Amateur Contestant in 1990 and in 1992. To this day, he still holds seven major statistical records at the University of Louisville. Davis also served as the Assistant Golf Coach at Louisville during the 1992-1993 seasons.

Davis turned professional in 1993 where he tallied nine professional victories over a six year career. He began as a member of the Nike Tour (now known as the Nationwide Tour) in 1997 and 1998. He was a Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) member for seven years and a Tour Qualifying School Finalist in 1996 and in 1997. During his professional career, Davis won 15 Illinois PGA Section Events and was the Illinois PGA Assistant Player of the Year in 2002. He was the leading money winner in the 2004-2005 Hooters Tour Winter Series and played in eight other tours including the Golden Bear Tour, the Gold Coast Tour and the Space Coast Tour.

After ending his professional career, Davis became the Associate Head Golf Professional at the Bob O’Link Golf Course in Chicago where he holds six career course records and scored nine holes-in-one.

Student-athletes that are interested in competing on the golf teams at UIS in the fall of 2007 can contact Coach Davis at (217)206-6674 or can fill out a recruiting questionnaire on the web at www.goprairiestars.com by clicking on the “Play at UIS” link on the left side of the homepage.