Concordia University head golf coach Matt Higgins has announced the addition of Sheryl Maize to the Golden Bear coaching staff. Maize, an LPGA Class A Teaching Professional at Crystal Lake Golf Club in Lakeville, Minn. and Sarasota, Fla., also brings collegiate coaching experience to CU.

"I'm very excited to add Coach Maize to our staff as an assistant coach," said Higgins of his new hire. "Along with Coach Waryan, I feel that I have two of the best instructors in the state assisting me. Craig and I are looking forward to working with Sheryl. Her teaching and coaching philosophy, along with her knowledge and experience will make an immediate impact in our program."

She served as head women's golf coach at the University of Memphis in 2002-03 and has also had stints as head women's golf coach at Augsburg College and as an assistant for the University of Minnesota.

Aside from her collegiate coaching experience, Maize will bring a deep instructional background to the program as well, serving as a national instructor for the LPGA Golf Clinics for Women. She is also one of the nation's first certified Cardiogolf instructors. Cardiogolf is a unique program designed to blend proper golf swing fundamentals with a great work out. She spent nine years as a Ben Sutton Golf School Senior Instructor and is on Peggy Kirk Bell's elite teaching staff as well as teaching her Amaizing Golf Schools in Iceland each summer.

Originally from Chicago, Ill., Maize competed during her prep career in Florida, where she was a Florida State High School Champion & Junior All-American. She captained the golf team at the University of Miami (FL) before competing professionally on the Futures Tour with the highlight being when she competed at the Rainbow Foods LPGA Classic at Rush Creek.

She was inducted into the Venice Sports Hall of Fame in Florida.

Maize joins a Golden Bear golf program on the rise, sending a men's and women's individual golfer to the NCAA Super Regional and Regional, respectively, for the first time in school history. The men's individual qualifier was a first for the program while the women were nationally ranked throughout 2007-08.