Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) has hired Steve Higham of Terre Haute to serve as the head coach for the College's new golf team.

Deanna Bradley, athletic director at SMWC, said that Higham has started recruiting for the new SMWC golf team, but the College does not expect to have a full team or schedule until Fall 2009. Bradley says the students who have been recruited this far will play in a handful of invitational tournaments, and they will be practicing on some challenging courses to prepare for the 2009 season.

“Steve is a very experienced coach and fully understand the priorities we place on academics,” Bradley said. “He is a competitor, but most importantly, a teacher. Our athletes will learn a great deal from his expertise and we are thrilled to have him among our highly qualified staff.”

Higham has been employed by the Vigo County School Corporation since 1975, and he currently serves as a math teacher at Terre Haute North Vigo High School. He has a wide range of coaching experiences, including coaching the boys' golf team at North from 1981 to 2003 and the coached the girls' golf team from 1983 to 2006. While at North, he also coached the girls' basketball team, and he served as the boys' basketball team assistant. At the junior high school level, he has coached track, football, basketball and baseball.

For his academic and athletic contributions, Higham has been recognized with several awards. In 2002, he received the Excellence in Education Award; in 2003, he was named to the Indiana Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame; in 2007, he received the Legacy of Commitment Award from WTWO-TV and Terre Haute Savings Bank; and in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001, he was named Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC) Coach of the Year.