Aaron Watkins is entering his third season as the Head Men's and Women's Golf Coach after being hired in July 2019.
During his second season with the women's team, Watkins led UC to both an MSC regular season and tournament championship. On the season, the Patriots took first place in six tournaments while notching two second place finishes. For the second straight year, UC had four golfers ranked inside the top-100 on GolfStat. Cumberlands held a top-10 rank for the entire season.
The Patriots earned seven MSC Golfer of the Week awards, Shoemaker (six) and Pena (once). Additionally, Shoemaker was named the NAIA Golfer of the Week twice. Five Patriots earned All-Conference recognition, including four first-team nominations. UC also led the MSC in Academic All-Conference honorees with eight.
In his first season for the women's program, Watkins guided the Patriots to five first place finishes, a second place finish and one fourth place finish. The team won the MSC Fall Invite, the only conference tournament of the season. UC was able to win the individual title in four tournaments. Four golfers finished the season ranked inside the top-100 in GolfStat with Carlee Shoemaker and Lucia Pena finishing inside the top-25. In the last NAIA poll of the season UC was ranked in sixth.
Cumberlands earned three MSC Golfers of the Week, Shoemaker (twice) and Pena (once). The team also shined in the classroom with all eight student-athletes who were eligible to receive MSC Academic All-Conference honors earned the accolade.
During Watkin's first two seasons with the men's team, the Patriots noted five top-3 finishes, including a first-place finish at the Union College Spring Collegiate. During the 2020-21 season, Watkins helped UC to multiple All-Conference nominations. Two golfers finished with top-150 rankings in the NAIA via GolfStat.
The UC Hall of Famer returns to Williamsburg where he had an impressive playing career and later served as a Graduate Assistant.
Watkins was one of the most decorated golfers in UC history, finishing his career as a three-time NAIA All-American as well as a three-time Ping/GCAA All-American. During his senior season, Watkins garnered Mid-South Conference Player of the Year honors and was a three-time MSC All-Conference selection. Watkins finished his UC career playing in 83 rounds posting a 73.56 scoring average with eight wins, six runner-up finishes, and 20 top-five finishes.
After graduation, Watkins played professional golf for two years before returning to UC as a Graduate Assistant for the 2015-2016 season. During that season, the Patriots Women's Golf team posted a fourth-place finish at the NAIA National Championship, their highest in school history, while the men's team placed ninth.
Watkins has a Masters in Business Administration and a Masters in Christian Studies.
