CLEVELAND, Tenn. --- University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's golf coach Colette Murray was honored recently by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland (Tenn.) at its annual Empowering Women Banquet. The banquet was held at the Cleveland Country Club.
Murray was one of two keynote speakers with TV and film actress, author and philanthropist Jennifer O'Neill. She was surprised by the award.
"I knew I was there to speak on a subject I hold very dear," said Murray. "Being honored by such a wonderful organization is very special."
Murray was given the Empowering Women Global Award. She was joined by Debbie Ledford Melton (Empowering Woman of the Year) and Maria Hernandez (Empowering Women Junior Award) on the dais.
Her Mocs won a school-record tying four titles in 2010-11 including their second straight Southern Conference Championship. Murray earned SoCon Coach of the Year, also for a second consecutive season as UTC made its third straight NCAA Regional appearance as a team, fourth including Emma de Groot's (Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia) individual berth in the program's inaugural season in 2007-08.
She built the program from scratch beginning with that 2007-08 when the Mocs won the first three tournaments entered. They won four times setting a mark equaled this year.
Murray graduated her first freshman recruits from that season in de Groot and Christine Wolf (Igls, Austria). de Groot was a six-time collegiate medalist, while Wolf captured one title. The duo led Chattanooga to an NCAA Championship appearance in 2009, in the team's second season.
A native of Dumfries, Scotland, Murray played collegiately at Jacksonville State. She returns four players - Jordan Britt (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Yushira Budhram (Johannesburg, South Africa), Marion Duvernay (Publier, France), Maria Juliana Loza (Bucaramanga, Colombia) - from this season's championship squad
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