USC's Justin Silverstein Named Pac-12 Women's Golf Coach Of The Year
Fifth-year USC Coach Justin Silverstein, who led the Trojans to a 2023 Pac-12 Championship and an NCAA Championship runner-up finish, has been named the 2023 Pac-12 Women's Golf Coach of the Year, the conference announced Wednesday (May 31).
It is the second such honor for Silverstein, who was tabbed as the 2019 Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year in his first season as the Trojans' head coach. It is the sixth such award for USC overall.
Silverstein guided USC to a pair of victories in 2022-23 and to three top 3 finishes in the postseason, which included a Pac-12 team title, a third-place at NCAA Regionals and spot in the NCAA Championships match play final.
The Trojans' run to the match play title featured upsets of No. 4 South Carolina in the quarterfinals and a win over No. 1 Stanford in the semifinals.
Silverstein's squad included a pair of WGCA All-American honorable mention picks in sophomore Amari Avery and freshman Catherine Park. Park tied for second in the NCAA Championships stroke play, finishing one shot out of first.
Avery, Park and sophomore Xin (Cindy) Kou all earned All-Pac-12 first team honors while junior Brianna Navarrosa was an honorable mention selection.
USC's two wins this year, which included the Pac-12 title and the Windy City Collegiate Classic, marks the fifth time in as many seasons the Trojans have won multiple tournaments under Silverstein. He has led USC to 19 tournament wins overall, including Pac-12 titles in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Silverstein's three Pac-12 wins makes him fourth all-time in conference history.
"This is truly a team award and I can't say enough about our squad this year," USC Coach Justin Silverstein said. "We have had contributions from every part of our roster and I am so proud of what we accomplished, particularly in the postseason.
"And I can't say enough about (Assistant Coach) Tiffany Joh, who made a massive impact in our program in just her first year. She's going to be a star in college coaching for as long as she is involved and we are so grateful to have her be a Trojan."