SALISBURY, Md. – Salisbury University Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation
Monica Polizzi announced on Tuesday that
Dalton Deardorff has been named the first head coach of both men's and women's golf in program history. He will begin his tenure leading Salisbury's newest two sports on Nov. 1.
"I'm excited to have earned this incredible opportunity to create a golf program at Salisbury University," said Deardorff. "To be able to work within a department that has already established itself for athletic prowess across so many programs is a great honor. As we begin recruiting for our first men's and women's classes, we're looking forward to bringing in top-tier student-athletes who will lay the foundation to shape our program for the future."
"I am thrilled to welcome Dalton Deardorff to Salisbury University," said Polizzi. "Coach Deardorff brings experience, enthusiasm, and a true passion for the game to our campus. He excels at helping student-athletes develop to their full potential on and off the course, and he shares many of our Sea Gull core values, such as excellence, integrity, building community relationships, and supporting student-athletes, both academically and athletically.
"Coach Deardorff has all the characteristics we are looking for in a leader to grow our golf programs, and we're thrilled to have him join the Sea Gull family."
Deardorff brings over 25 years of experience within the sport to the Sea Gull golf program. He comes to Salisbury after spending almost four years as a private instructor based out of Bishopville, Md., offering lessons to golfers of all ages and levels of skill. He also hosts a golf-based podcast,
Wonderful Walks in Golf, which was recently featured in an issue of
Golf Association of Philadelphia Magazine.
A native of Cashtown, Pa., Deardorff played collegiately at Marywood University, joining Marywood's first-ever golf recruiting class and playing in the university's first four varsity golf seasons from 2012-16, spending the last three as a team captain. Deardorff helped the Pacers win back-to-back Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) championships in 2015 and 2016, finishing third out of 45 individual competitors in 2016. In both seasons, Marywood qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships, ranking 20th nationally in 2015 and 35th in 2016.
Deardorff has also competed in multiple open and amateur tournaments hosted by the Maryland State Golf Association. He graduated from Marywood in 2017 with a B.A. in Environmental Design & Architecture and is currently a member of the Glen Riddle Golf Club in Berlin, Md.
Salisbury University
announced last spring it would field men's and women's golf teams beginning during the 2024-25 academic year. The two programs will be the first completely new additions to SU athletics since the advent of women's soccer in 1994, bringing the Sea Gulls' total varsity footprint up to 23 sports. SU will join the ranks of over 300 Division III institutions to offer men's golf and over 240 to offer women's golf, with NCAA Championships for each held every spring.
"We know that one of the things that makes our SU campus community so unique is our strong history of Division III athletics," said SU President
Dr. Carolyn Ringer Lepre during
her inaugural State of the University address in February. "The addition of [men's and women's golf] will provide new opportunities for student-athletes from across our country to contribute to the growth of our campus and be a part of a nationally-renowned athletics program."
Salisbury previously fielded a men's golf team from 1973-83. Deardorff will be the first head coach of both a men's and a women's program at SU.
Current high school athletes interested in learning more about the Sea Gull men's and women's golf teams should email Coach Deardorff directly at
dadeardorff@salisbury.edu.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 196 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
