Dr. Barbara Smith (Women’s Golf Head Coach, 1966-92) is the retired founder and 26-year head coach of the nationally prominent Longwood Women’s Golf program, earning 137 career victories. She guided the program to three NGCA Division II National Championships (1987, 1988, 1990), five national runner-up finishes (1981, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1992), and six Virginia State Championships (1970, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1979). Dr. Smith previously received induction into both the NGCA Hall of Fame (1992) and the Limestone College Athletic Hall of Fame (1996). She also received the LPGA’s Ellen Griffin Rolex Award (2003), and was named an LPGA Master Professional (1994). Dr. Smith was also a two-time LPGA Coach of Year (1989, 1983), as well as a two-time Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of Year (1987, 1985). She coached 19 individual All-Americans (athletic and academic), several with multiple honors, during her Longwood tenure. Dr. Smith is retired and resides in Farmville.
The 1987 & 1988 Women’s Golf Teams earned National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Division II National Championships, the first-ever national championships at Longwood. Coached by Hall of Fame head coach Dr. Barbara Smith, the 1987 team posted 327-321-309--957 to defeat runners-up Rollins College by 15 strokes at the Evergreen Country Club in Elkhorn, Wisconsin May 4-6, 1987. The Lancers won three tournaments that year while finishing third three times as well among eight top 10 team finishes overall in 10 tournaments, averaging 322.5. The 1988 team defended the title while scoring 312-308-322--942 to easily out-distance runners-up Troy University by 34 strokes at the Dubuque Country Club in Dubuque, Iowa May 2-4, 1988. The Lancers also won three tournaments that year while finishing second two times among eight top 10 team finishes overall in nine tournaments, averaging 319.0. Team members included Tina Barrett ‘88, Leslie Oscovitch Gartner ‘87, Tammy Lohren ‘88, Marcia Melone ‘88, Libby Moore ‘88, Kim Poirier ‘89, Gretchen Pugh ‘88, Leigh Russell Woody ‘88, and the late Ashley Warren Taws ‘90, ‘93. Barrett, Lohren, Melone, Pugh, and Warren Taws played at the 1987 championship, while Barrett, Melone, Pugh, Russell Woody, and Warren Taws competed at the 1988 championship. Barrett (4), Warren Taws (4), Melone (3), and Pugh (2) combined to earn 13 All-America citations during their respective careers, while Barrett also claimed three Academic All-America accolades. Both Dr. Smith and Barrett were inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame as members of the inaugural Class of 2005.
