Jim Howard, the longest tenured golf coach in New Jersey, received the rare and special honor of being named NJ Coach of the Year after guiding the LA girls to their second consecutive perfect state championship season last spring.
The news was announced as a surprise to the veteran coach at Monday’s Upper School division meeting. LA athletic director Mike Romeo introduced the girls’ golf team and Sarah Shao ’24, one of the team’s leading players, read the congratulatory letter from the NJSIAA. The Upper School audience gave Coach Howard a wonderful ovation.
“It’s all due to these players and girls who came before them,” Coach Howard said. “We wouldn’t be the No. 1 team in the state of New Jersey and nationally ranked without them. It takes a lot of time, effort and determination to play at this level.”
Members of the LA golf team joined Coach Howard on the stage for congratulations and a group photo. Some LA standouts of the recent past are now playing college golf and Coach Howard acknowledged them during his brief speech after receiving the award.