Niagara Athletics Announces Addition Of Women's Golf
MAAC Sports
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. ? The Niagara University athletic department is proud to announce the addition of the women’s golf program that will compete as the 18th Division I sport at Niagara. Director of Athletics Ed McLaughlin has named Robert O’Malley to lead the program.
"When we looked at starting our program, we wanted to find someone who could teach the game while understanding all of the nuances of college athletics," McLaughlin said.
The women’s golf program will begin play in fall 2009 as a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) joining Fairfield University and Siena College.
"Bob has spent a career in college athletics, believes in our university mission and was the ideal choice to build our program," McLaughlin said.
O’Malley brings over 17 years of collegiate athletic administration experience. Prior to arriving to Buffalo in 2006, O’Malley served as the assistant director of athletics and head athletic trainer at NCAA Division II, Philadelphia University, from 1993-2006. In his final two years at Philadelphia, he worked directly with the men’s golf program as their administrator.
"It's a tremendous opportunity for the women's golf players in Western New York to stay home and play for a school with a great athletic reputation and history," O'Malley said. "I'm very excited about the prospects of bringing Niagara University women's golf into the MAAC."
An in-depth background in athletic medicine, O’Malley has worked as an athletic trainer in the public and private sector since 1988. He started his athletic training career at Marist College in 1988 as an assistant athletic trainer, then worked at NAIA’s Gwynedd-Mercy College as the head athletic trainer from 1992-93. He was an assistant athletic trainer at the Temple University Centers for Sports Medicine and Science from 1990-93 and has served on the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) sports medicine staff since 1993.
O’Malley graduated from American International College in May 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in pre-law and history, where he was a member of the golf team. He would earn his graduate degree in sports administration from Concordia University (Montreal) in 1981 before getting his master of education in athletic training from Temple University in 1993.