WILLIMANTIC, Conn.- Eastern Connecticut State University plans to institute a women's golf program as its 20^th intercollegiate program – 11^th for women –that is set to launch in the fall of 2025, as announced by Director of Athletics Lori Runksmeier.
 
Kyle Gallo, currently the part-time men's golf coach, will be elevated to full-time status for both the men's and women's programs beginning this August. Gallo, a respected veteran coach and Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame inductee, brings over 25 years of experience as a competitive amateur and professional golfer. He will also be accompanied by two assistant coaches to support the expanding program.
 
Says Runksmeier, "Women's golf was the obvious next addition in Eastern's varsity sport portfolio. I believe it will soon be a Little East Conference sponsored sport, and this is going to help us be immediately competitive when that happens."
 
Runksmeier points out that she was inspired to begin a women's golf program due to the fact that "our men's golf program has been successful since the beginning, and I think that made adding women's golf a no-brainer. We can continue Eastern's quest for excellence and add opportunities for women to compete."
 
When asked about his goal for the program, Gallo said, "The goal is to attract as many student-athletes as possible to be a part of something new, exciting and fun to the Eastern community. Golf has taken off over the last five years, and there are more young women competing and seeing the value in the game than ever before. It's an exciting time for the department and the university community as a whole to bring in a women's program," notes Gallo, a native of Kensington. "I anticipate in years down the road that this program will be one that the university will be proud of."
 
The men's program was reinstated in the fall of 2020 after a 38-year hiatus. Chris Wojick (2020-21, 21-22) and Marc Senia (2022-23, 23-24) and were the program's previous two head coaches, having led Eastern to Little East Conference championships each year.

 The men's program competed in the NCAA Division III national championship – which began in 1975 -- in the spring of 2023 at Nicholasville, KY and '24 in Boulder City, NV after winning the first two official Little East championships.
 
"It is very important as a program moving forward with recruiting that we show a competitive and fun schedule and provide the student-athletes with the best possible experience we can," Gallo stressed.
 
Gallo has served as a collegiate coach for five years at three different institutions, most recently as an assistant men's and women's coach and recruiting coordinator at Division I College of the Holy Cross. Other schools include Central Connecticut State University and Western New England University.
 
Currently, four Little East Conference institutions field NCAA Division III women's golf programs —Keene State College, Rhode Island College, University of Southern Maine, and Western Connecticut State University. With the addition of Eastern's program, the Little East would need only one additional program to meet the NCAA's required six-team minimum to receive automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III championship. Under current regulations, the conference must meet a two-year waiting period and have a minimum of six teams participating in the sport for its champion to receive an automatic berth in the NCAA championship.
 
There are currently 24 Division III women's golf programs throughout New England, five of which are located in Connecticut: Western Connecticut, Wesleyan University, Albertus Magnus College, University of Hartford, and Trinity College.
 
If interested in learning more about the Eastern's women's golf program, contact Kyle Gallo at gallok@easternct.edu.