After spending two seasons out of the Midwest, Dave Ellis returns as assistant golf coach at South Dakota State, Director of Golf Casey VanDamme announced Tuesday.
“I am extremely excited to announce Dave Ellis as our assistant golf coach,” VanDamme said. “Dave coached a top-10 team and assisted one of the best coaches in the country at Central Florida. In addition to his experience coaching at the highest level, Dave understands the balance for today’s student-athletes and will serve as a great mentor/role model for them. Jackrabbit golf just got immeasurably better today.”
Ellis, who spent two seasons at UCF as the men’s golf assistant, helped lead the Knights to a No. 6 final Golfstat ranking in 2013-14, a runner-up finish at the American Athletic Conference Championship, a spot in the NCAA regional, and a guided a student-athlete to the 2014 national championship tournament.
This past season, Ellis and UCF finished third at the conference championship and won the FAU Slomin Autism Invite. Additionally, over two seasons he coached four student-athletes playing professionally on various tours worldwide, including the Web.com Tour and PGA Tour Canada.
“I am incredibly excited for the opportunity to work with the men’s and women’s golf programs at South Dakota State University,” Ellis said. “It will be a privilege to assist such an experienced mentor in coach VanDamme as he continues to give his student-athletes the opportunity to develop both on and off the golf course. I look forward to contributing toward the ongoing success of Jackrabbit athletics and being part of the Brookings community.”
A former standout at Michigan State, Ellis was a three-time team captain and played in three Big Ten Championships, finishing in the top 20 in 2012. Academically, he was a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar, four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and four-time All-Big Ten Academic selection. He was honored with the Spartans’ most prestigious accolade—The President’s Award—honoring the MSU graduating senior with the highest GPA.
