Mary Swanson enters her third season as the head coach of the Washington University in St. Louis women's golf program. She was named the third coach in program history on July 27, 2018.
In Swanson's two seasons with the Bears, WashU has set a school-record for scoring average, 18-hole and 36-hole, and also recorded seven tournament victories.
Swanson's second season with the Bears was cut short due to COVID-19, with the Bears finishing the ranked No. 2 in the WGCA National Poll and on Golfstat. WashU won its first three tournaments to open the fall season – I-70 Dual, Rhodes Classic and DIII NCAA Preview – and was ranked fifth in NCAA Division III with a school-record low scoring average of 307.64. The Bears also set school records for 18-holes (281) and 36-holes (574) at Rhodes.
Freshman Annie Mascot was named the WGCA National and Rookie of the Year, while senior Samantha Haubenstock joined Mascot on the first team. WashU was the lone team in Division III with a pair of first-team All-Americans.
For her efforts, Swanson was named the 2019-20 Golf Pride Grips Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Central Region Coach of the Year.
In Swanson's first season on the Danforth Campus, she led the Bears to the NCAA Tournament and an 11th place finish. The team reached No. 1 in the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) National Poll on Oct. 1, 2018. WashU totaled four tournaments wins in Swanson's first year at the helm which three individuals finished the year ranked in the top-75 Division III golfers according to Golfstat.
Swanson was named the 2018 LPGA Midwest Women's Coach of the Year on Oct. 8, 2018. She was also named to The Kerry Cup coaching staff in the summer of 2019, which is a golf tournament that features some of the top junior golf talent in the world.
WashU set several records under Swanson, including the lowest round, lowest 36-hole score, and the lowest 72-hole score (1,276 at the NCAA Division III National Championship). In addition, the Bears posted a program-best scoring average in 2018-19 at 310.24.
Prior to WashU she spent eight seasons as the head women’s golf coach at Bradley University. She is the third women’s golf coach in WashU history.
During her eight-year run with the Braves, Bradley student-athletes claimed four Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Golfer of the Year awards, 13 First-Team All-Valley selections and a trio of league Newcomer of the Year honors. She was also named the 2012-13 MVC Coach of the Year.
Swanson served as head women’s golf coach at Yale University from 2000-05, directing the Bulldogs to a pair of Ivy League championships in 2002 and 2003. She had 13 student-athletes earn all-conference honors, including the 2005 Ivy League medalist.
Following five seasons at Yale, Swanson pursued a full-time professional playing career, qualifying for the LPGA's developmental Duramed Futures Tour each of her last five seasons. As part of her qualification, she boasts four professional wins on the Moonlight Golf Tour and a pair of top 10 finishes on the SunCoast Ladies Series.
Swanson won 16 collegiate tournaments during her undergraduate playing career at Princeton, including the 1997 Ivy League championship. She was a 1997 National Golf Coaches Association All-America selection after qualifying for the NCAA Championship. Swanson earned her bachelor's degree in history with a certificate in American studies from Princeton in 1997.
She began her coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Florida from 1998-2000, and earned her master's degree in exercise and sport sciences with a concentration in sport management from Florida in 2003.
A native of Far Hills, N.J., Swanson and her husband Darmon have two children: Lauren and TJ.
Updated July 1, 2020
