Isabelle Chiu
Online Sports Editor
The coach that led the undefeated girls golf champions to victory last year will now have a chance to do the same with the boys golf team.
The previous boys golf coach, Ryan Branning, was released from coaching the boys after last season due to undisclosed reasons. Thomas Cox, who has been the head coach of the Mira Costa High School girls golf team for one year, was recently hired as the head coach for the boys golf team, while still remaining the girls golf coach.
“Cox already has a good relationship with the girls team and the booster club,” vice principal John Shaw said. “Additionally, he is a teacher on campus, and it is nice to have coaches who teach here at Costa.”
Cox has been teaching special education in the Learning Center for 15 years at Costa.
Additionally, before he accepted the position as head coach, Cox had coached golf at Costa as an assistant coach for both the boys and girls team for a year. It is his second year as the head girls golf coach.
“I believe I was selected for the position due to the success we’ve had in developing and coaching the girls program over the last couple of seasons,” Cox said.
According to sophomore golf player Kaitlyn Levitt, Cox has been doing an excellent job as head coach. He encourages individual improvement and teamwork, which led to the girls to having an undefeated season last year.
“He coaches us in ethics and morals as well as golf, and he is dedicated to his job with the incentive to push our team forward to victory,” Levitt said.
Although Cox has only Been coaching at Costa for a few years, the members of the boys golf team believe that he will do well as their coach and will take Costa’s boys golf program to the next level.
“We have a great coach this year, and after seeing some of the incoming players’ skills, I believe that we may have an undefeated season,” junior Sean Berens said.
According to Principal Dr. Ben Dale, it is preferable for sports to have the same coach for both the girls and boys team in smaller sports, such as swim, tennis, golf, track, and cross country, since it will enhance the program and make it stronger.
“It’s good to have that continuity between the two programs, and that was an area of weakness for the golf team in the past,” Dale said. “We want to have consistency in the coaching staff.”
Cox looks forward to a successful season with both the girls and boys golf team and aims to be the Bay League champion once again, as well as remain undefeated this season.
“I aim to develop Mira Costa’s golf program that has a place for the talent we currently have, as well as developing talent for the future,” Cox said.
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