After a season that has seen the Tigers win the SEC and earn a spot in the NCAA Championship, Auburn women's golf head coach Melissa Luellen was named to the WGCA National Coach of the Year award watch list on Tuesday.
Luellen was one of 20 coaches on the watch list for the award. She has won it previously as she took home the honor in 2009 at Arizona State.
Former Auburn head coach Kim Evans won the award in 2002.
The award is annually given to the top coach in Divison 1 women's golf, and the winner will be announced after medal play of the NCAA Championship.
The winner is chosen by a select group of women's college coaches who follow established criteria to identify the top head coach.
With Luellen at the helm, Auburn is making its third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championship. The Tigers reached the NCAA Championship after finishing fourth at the NCAA Regional in Louisville earlier in the month.
This season, Auburn also won the SEC Championship for the first time since 2012. After finishing third in stroke play, the Tigers defeated Vanderbilt, Alabama and Mississippi State to take home the title.
The SEC Championship was Luellen's fifth conference championship as a head coach but her first at Auburn. She previously won two at Arizona State and two at Tulsa.
The regular season saw the Tigers place in the top five in four of their seven tournaments, including first place at the Liz Murphey Fall Collegiate Classic.
Auburn will tee off on Friday for the NCAA Championship as the first round of stroke play begins.
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Jake Weese, senior in journalism with a minor in history, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
