Since taking over as head coach of the Kennesaw State men’s golf team prior to the 2009-10 season, Jay Moseley has steadily built a program that consistently competes at a high level regionally and has established a name for itself nationally.
In six seasons under Moseley’s leadership, the Owls have claimed an Atlantic Sun Conference title, appeared in five consecutive NCAA regionals and reached the NCAA Championships in 2011 and 2014. Additionally, Kennesaw State has produced one All-American, six All-Southeast Region selections, two A-Sun Conference Players of the Year, three Scholar-Athletes of the Year, one Freshman of the Year, 14 all-conference picks and five all-freshman selections.
The Owls also have excelled in the classroom during Moseley’s tenure as two student-athletes have been voted Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-Americas and nine have been named to the Cleveland/Srixon Golf All-America Scholar and A-Sun Conference All-Academic teams.
Over the course of the last five seasons, Kennesaw State has won 13 team titles, including a program-best five during the record-setting 2010-11 campaign.
The 2015-16 marked another season of firsts for the Owls under the leadership of Moseley as Kennesaw State appeared in the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) poll’s Top 25 for the first time in program history. KSU finished the year No. 27 in the final GCAA No. 28 by Golfstat and No. 30 by Golfweek.
Playing a competitive schedule, the Owls posted 11 top four finishes in 12 events, including victories at the Rees Jones Invitational and Pinetree Intercollegiate. KSU also had runner-up showings at the Jones Invitational and Atlantic Sun Conference Championships. Kennesaw State concluded the year with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional.
Individually, senior Jimmy Beck capped an impressive four-year career by leading the Owls with a 71.15 stroke average and posting eight top 20 finishes, including seven Top 10 showings. He was named to the PING Division I All-Southeast region team and A-Sun Conference’s first-team all-conference team. He also was tabbed the conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year and earned all-academic honors.
Sophomore Teremoana Beaucousin became the second KSU player to earn A-Sun Conference Golfer of the Year honors, and was joined on the all-conference team by freshman Fredrik Nilehn and senior Austin Vick.
The rise to prominence continued during the 2013-14 campaign as the Owls recorded 11 Top 10 finishes, including nine Top 5 showings. KSU made its fourth straight regional appearance, finishing second at the Auburn Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships for the second time in program history.
The Owls were led by Beck who registered a 72.54 stroke average, was named first team all-conference, A-Sun Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and All-Southeast Region by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).
Beaucousin made an immediate contribution to the Owls as he was selected A-Sun Conference Freshman of the Year and established a single-season program scoring record with a 73.0 stroke average.
The 2012-13 saw Kennesaw State post 12 Top 10 finishes, including four top five showings, and a team title at the Pinetree Intercollegiate. The strong regular-season performance and third-place finish at the A-Sun Conference Championships resulted in the team receiving a third consecutive NCAA Regional appearance, earning an at-large bid to the Tempe Southwest Regional Championships.
Kennesaw State was led by Beck who recorded a 72.4 stroke average in 12 events and posted six Top 20 showings, including four Top 10 finishes. Beck twice claimed individual medalist honors as he captured the Pinetree Intercollegiate and Irish Creek Collegiate.
Beck’s solid season earned him All-South East Region honors and first team A-Sun Conference First Team accolades. He also was twice named conference Player of the Week and earned A-Sun Conference All-Academic honors. The Owls’ standout continued his outstanding 2013 during the summer by winning the Georgia State Amateur Championship at nearby Pinetree Country Club.
The men’s golf team made additional history when seniors Ben Greene and Peder Lunde Hermansson became the program’s first Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-America selections. The Owls’ pair completed their academic careers with 4.0 grade-point averages, and Greene was named the A-Sun Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Building on the momentum from its first-ever NCAA Division I postseason appearance a year earlier, Kennesaw State had another successful season during the 2011-12 campaign as it made a return trip to the NCAA Regionals, earning an at-large berth to the Ann Arbor Regional in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Owls, led by senior Matt Nagy, placed ninth in the 13-team field.
Kennesaw State won two outright team titles during the year, finishing first at the Rees Jones Intercollegiate and Memphis Intercollegiate, and tying for first at the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate. The Owls had six Top 5 finishes during the season.
Individually, Nagy paced the team, posting a 72.5 stroke average and producing nine Top 20 showings, including five Top 10 finishes. Nagy was named All-Southeast Region first team All-A-Sun Conference First Team.
Kennesaw State also received a solid performance from senior Jeff Karlsson, who ranked second on the team with a 73.0 stroke average, earned All-Southeast Region honors, was a second team all-conference pick and selected to the A-Sun Conference’s All-Academic team.
The 2010-11 season represented a year of firsts for the Kennesaw State program as the Owls captured their first-ever Atlantic Sun Conference crown, earned its first Division postseason appearance and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
Karlsson became KSU’s first All-American, earning second team recognition by the GCAA, and along with Nagy, was named to the All-Southeast Region team.
Kennesaw State placed no lower than sixth in any of its 10 regular season tournaments and won a school-record five events. The Owls captured the Sam Hall Intercollegiate, Rees Jones Intercollegiate, Barefoot at the Beach Intercollegiate, the Match Play Championship and A-Sun Conference Championships.
After placing third at the NCAA Regional in Ocala, Fla., Kennesaw State advanced to the NCAA Championships at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla., where it finished 26th in the 30-team event. Karlsson led the Owls, tying for 20th with a 4-over par 220. Greene also was recognized for his success in the classroom as he earned the Elite 88 Award, which is presented to the competing individual with the highest GPA.
Moseley, who was named 2011 A-Sun Conference Coach of the Year, became the fifth head coach in Kennesaw State men’s golf history when was he named to succeed Blake Smart on Sept. 8, 2009. He joined the program after serving as a graduate assistant at his alma mater Auburn.
During his rookie year leading the Owls, Moseley guided the KSU to five Top 5 finishes, including third-place showings at the Rees Jones Invitational and Samford Intercollegiate. Sophomore Karlsson was named second team All-Sun Conference while Greene was selected to the All-Freshman team.
A four-year letter winner at Auburn, Moseley played in 42 events and currently holds the Auburn record for low 36-hole (132, -12) and is tied for the second-lowest 54-hole total (202, -14). He set the then Tigers record with a 14-under par 202 at the John Burns Invitational where he shot a career low round of 6-under par 66 in the first round.
In 2007-08, he enjoyed his finest collegiate season earning first team All-Southeastern Conference honors as well as being named third team Golfweek All-American, honorable mention Ping All-American and Cleveland Golf All-American Scholar.
In 2008, Moseley became the first-ever golfer to win the prestigious Cliff Hare Award, presented annually to an Auburn student-athlete who excels in athletic and scholarship achievement as well as showing a great degree of leadership, integrity and courage.
Moseley received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Auburn and earned a master’s degree in higher education administration with a sports management minor. He and his wife, Kelly, welcomed their first child, James Brown Moseley III, also known as Tripp, on June 2, 2015, and reside in Marietta, Ga.
