ARLINGTON – On the heels of successful seasons, Casey Devoll has been promoted to head coach of the UT Arlington men's golf program, while Catherine Matranga has been promoted to head coach of the Maverick women's golf program, Director of Athletics Jim Baker announced.
 
Devoll and Matranga had been associate head coaches of their respective programs since 2016-17, but will now have the opportunity to oversee and manage all aspects of their teams as they continue to make progress.
 
In addition to Devoll's promotion, former UTA golfer Adam Babb has also been elevated from a volunteer assistant coach to a full-time assistant role with the men's program, while fellow alumnus Paul McConnell remains on staff as a volunteer assistant coach.
 
DEVOLL'S THOUGHTS
"Being named the head coach of the Mavs is a great honor. I am really looking forward to the next few years with the student-athletes we have here and the new ones coming into the program. Our plan going forward is simple: to just keep building on what we started in the spring. We tried to instill in the guys that it is okay to make to mistakes on the course as every golfer does – as long as they are committed to the shot, we all can live with result. Something else we implemented, that seems a bit elementary, is simply having fun. It was great to see how the guys' demeanors and golf changed in such a short period of time. The team transformation this last semester was truly unbelievable. Getting back to the winning tradition of UTA golf is right around the corner."
 
"The addition of Adam to our staff is huge to the success of our program. His knowledge of the golf swing and overall golf IQ is second to none. Not only that, but his way of relaying his message to the players is easy to understand. Paul is another tremendous asset for the program – his mental outlook and playing ability is fantastic. Having a coach who plays as well as he does helps the players see where they need to be. Both are past alumni with decorated backgrounds."
 
Among the following highlights for the men this past year, most notably in the spring, are as follows:

• Through the first 18 rounds of the year, UTA was a combined 254-over par with no rounds under par. Over its final 13 rounds, UTA went a combined 29-under par with nine under-par rounds. Those nine rounds represent the 5th-most par-or-better rounds in single-season program history.
   
• The Mavs had an average team score of 301.3 over their 14 rounds in the fall. In the spring that average dropped to 287.4 over 17 rounds, and over its final 14 rounds of the season, UTA's scoring average was an impressive 284.3.
   
• Included in the low scoring were some of the best rounds ever recorded in the nearly 60-year history of the program. A pair of 274s (both 10-under performances) in the spring tied for the 4th-best rounds in program history.
   
• UTA posted an 837 (-15) three-round performance at the Sun Belt Championship – the 3rd-lowest total in any tournament in program history, and a total which in any of the previous 42 Sun Belt Championships would have won the tournament going away.
   
• The Mavs also secured an 841 (-11) total at the Redhawk Invitational, which stands alone as the 4th-lowest total in program history, while the 857 (-7) at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic tied for the 14th-best.
   
• Additionally, UTA had a team par-3 scoring average of 3.19 for the year – the 3rd-lowest in single-season program history – and finished the campaign with its highest Golfstat Ranking (#115) since a 2014-15 (#103).

 
MATRANGA'S THOUGHTS
"I am very excited to be named the head coach and continue building our women's program. I've been here since the program started two years ago. The university and athletic department have been so supportive as we get our program up and running. I'm excited to watch this program develop over the next few years as this team continues get stronger and we keeping adding depth to our program. They are becoming a very disciplined group which is constantly pushing themselves to get better. We saw a lot of success this past spring, and I'm looking forward to building on that momentum in the coming years."
 
Matranga, who is in the process of adding an assistant coach to complete her staff, helped the second-year program improve dramatically from its inaugural 2017-18 campaign, highlighted by the numerous accomplishments below:

• The team scoring average was lowered from 312.24 to 309.64. The finish percentage also improved from 24.2 percent to 34.9 percent. Additionally, the Mavs' Golfstat year-end national ranking went from #208 to #173.
   
• Each of the three sophomores on the roster significantly lowered their scoring average from their freshman seasons: Madigan Murray (3.21 stroke improvement), Sydney Garber (2.91) and Kate Tran (1.64).
   
• The 904 three-round total at the Kiawah Island Spring Classic in February tied for the best in program history. Three of the top-4, and five of the top-7, 54-hole totals in program history occurred in 2018-19.
   
• A final-round 295 at the Kiawah Island Spring Classic was the 2nd-best round in program history.
   
• Six of the program's 10 all-time individual rounds below par came in 2018-19, including three of the five lowest: 69s by Tran and Madigan (tied for the program record) and a 70 by Garber (tied for the 4th-lowest).
   
• First time in program history recording six-straight rounds below 310 earlier this spring (Texas State Invitational and Kiawah Island Spring Classic). It had previously never been done more than three-straight rounds.

 
BIO BLASTS
Casey Devoll: Devoll is a 1999 graduate of Texas A&M-Commerce where he was a four-year letterwinner on the Lions' men's golf team. A 2014 inductee into the A&M-Commerce's Athletics Hall of Fame, Devoll claimed four medalist honors in his collegiate career, was a three-time All-American and played in two NCAA Championships.
 
He had his best season on the collegiate links as a junior in 1998 when he finished 3rd for a second-straight year (11th as a senior) at the Lone Star Conference Championship, garnering a spot on the league's All-Conference First Team list. That performance helped lift the Lions to their first Lone Star Men's Golf Championship since 1965. Devoll led the Lions into the NCAA Division II West Regional, where he finished tied for 2nd before advancing to the NCAA Championship and tying for 20th overall.
 
As a professional, Devoll has played in six Web.com Tour events, making the cut in three of those. He also teed it up in one PGA Tour event – the 2012 Valero Texas Open.
 
Catherine Matranga: A Fort Worth native, Matranga was a four-year letterwinner for TCU (2003-07), finishing her career with an All-American Honorable Mention honor in 2007 after leading the Horned Frogs to a Mountain West Championship. She was also named to the 2005 Conference USA Second Team and 2007 All-Mountain West Team.
 
At the time of her graduation, Matranga's 76.05 career scoring average ranked 6th in program history, and her 132 career rounds were the 3rd-most in TCU history. Additionally, Matranga possessed three of the top-10 lowest 54-hole scores in program history (including the 2nd-lowest: 211), and three of the seven-lowest rounds in program history: all 68s. Including a 69, Matranga's four sub-70 rounds were tied for the most by an individual player in TCU history. She recorded 13 top-10 finishes during her decorated career, and won the 2006 Dick McGuire Invitational.
 
After her days as a Horned Frog, she played seven seasons on the LPGA Symetra Tour and participated in the U.S. Women's Open in 2013.
 
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