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TGIF - Thank God it's Freitag.
A multi-sport star as a student-athlete and a successful teacher,
recruiter and administrator as a coach, Martha Freitag consistently
has shown that she can do it all.
When she was hired to coach the Vanderbilt women's golf team,
though, there was only one thing on her mind - to make the
Commodores national champions.
In short order, she has put the program in position to do
just that by bringing in some of the best players in the nation
and improving the competitive and technical approach of everyone
involved.
Vanderbilt enters the 2002-03 campaign ranked among the top
10 in the nation, is considered a contender for the title
in every event on the schedule and has a roster full of players
who are individual champions in their own right.
Already Freitag has guided the program into the NCAA Championships
for the first time ever (VU finished 18th in 2002) and to
its best-ever finish at the SEC Championships (fourth in 2002).
Junior Nicki Cutler became Vanderbilt's first All-America
(honorable mention, 2002) in more than 30 years, and VU spent
the entire 2001-02 season ranked among the top 10, including
a short stint in the top spot.
She has maintained the high academic standards of the institution
even as she has raised the competitive standards, as evidenced
by the fact that the Commodores had two All-SEC players in
2002 as well as two SEC All-Academic selections.
Before she arrived the team never had been among the top 25.
In her first season (2000-01) the Commodores were ranked from
start to finish and accumulated four top five finishes against
a highly competitive schedule.
She was hired June 1, 2000, following a successful run as
an assistant coach at The University of Texas. She spent almost
three seasons at Texas and twice during that time the Longhorns
finished among the top 10 at the NCAAs, four golfers earned
Big-12 academic honors and eight were All-Big 12 selections.
She has a complete understanding of the game because she has
been involved with the sport at every level. She was an All-America
golfer in 1993 at Stanford University (she also was a member
of Stanford's 1990 national championship basketball team)
and later was named to the Pac-10's All Decade Golf Team for
the 1990s.
Following her collegiate career she worked as an assistant
coach at Stanford before she embarked on a career as a playing
professional. She competed on the LPGA Tour in 1995 and 1996,
and her best finish was 20th.
In 1997 she served as a teaching professional with the Jim
McLean Golf Academy in Foster City, Calif. There she was involved
with the Executive Women's Golf Association and managed the
instruction of the LPGA Junior Girls Club.
The former Martha Richards, she is a native of Hudson, Wis.,
and was the 1988 national High School Basketball Player of
the Year. She is married to J.J. Freitag, a former All-America
swimmer who competed on three NCAA championship teams at Stanford.
FREITAG FACTS
Born: Martha Alexandra Richards, October 6, 1969
Place of Birth: Hudson, Wisconsin
Hometown: Hudson, Wisconsin
Husband: J.J.
Alma Mater: Stanford University (1993)
Degree: Bachelor's of Arts - Communication
Honors at Stanford:
Golf All-American (1993)
Pac-10 All-Conference Team (1993)
Pac-10 Conference All-Decade Team (1990s)
LPGA Tour: 1994-96
COACHING EXPERIENCE
Head Coach, Vanderbilt University, 2000-present
Assistant Coach, The University of Texas, 1998 (Feb.) -2000
Head Coach, Boise State University, 1997-1998 (Feb.)
Volunteer Assistant Coach, Stanford University, 1993-96
COMMODORE COACHING HIGHLIGHTS
* Led Vanderbilt to its first ever NCAA Championship Appearance
in 2001
* Highest SEC Finish Ever at #4 in 2001
* One All-American
* Six All-SEC Players
* Five All-SEC Academic Players
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