COACHING STAFF

AJ NEWELL

Title: Assistant Coach

AJ Newell begins her fourth year as a collegiate coach serving as the assistant coach with the University of Michigan women's golf program under head coach Jan Dowling.

No strangers to each other, Dowling and Newell worked together once before when Newell was a sophomore at the University of Tennessee during the 2012-13 season and Dowling was her assistant coach. The following season, Dowling left to take over the Michigan program.

During a five-year professional career, Newell made eight starts on the LPGA Tour in 2018 and played 35 events on the Symetra Tour (2016-20) before a back injury and subsequent surgery forced her retirement in 2020. She made 13 cuts on the Symetra Tour, highlighted by a tie for fourth at the 2017 Fuccillo Kia Classic of New York and a seventh-place finish at the 2017 IOA Golf Classic. She also tied for 10th at the 2018 Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout.

Before heading to Ann Arbor, Newell was a golf professional at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair Beach, Fla. With more than 20 dedicated students, she ran a summer golf camp for ages 6-15. She was also instrumental in founding the Pelican Fitness Center.

She has volunteered and taught golf with the First Tee program at Cheval Golf Club and Fox Hollow Golf Club in Tampa, Fla. Following her collegiate career, she began teaching at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn.

During her four years at Tennessee (2012-15), Newell played in 38 career tournaments and posted seven top-10 finishes while leading the Volunteers to four straight NCAA regional bids and two NCAA Finals (2012 and 2015). As a senior, she was named a Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-America honorable mention and tied for seventh at the NCAA Finals. That same season she earned her first collegiate victory at the Westbrook Spring Invitational and was the runner-up at the Golfweek Conference Challenge.

In addition to her career year as a senior, Newell assisted in teaching a Master of Business Administration program class designed to introduce female students to the fundamentals of golf to help them succeed in the business world.

Homeschooled and self-taught golf, Newell earned five varsity letters and was a captain for two years at Northside Christian High School in St. Petersburg, Fla. She closed her prep career leading Northside Christian to its second straight Class A runner-up team finish at the Florida Class A Championships, as she tied for third (73-68/141, -3) after closing as the runner-up the year prior (70-72/142, -2) following a playoff for the state crown.

In her spare time, Newell is an avid student of history and World War II history and visits historical sites while traveling. In March of 2023, she married Dan Lavin.

MIKE MORROW

Title: Volunteer Assistant

Beginning his third season with the University of Michigan women's golf team, legendary collegiate golf coach Mike Morrow will continue to serve as a volunteer assistant.

Morrow has deep ties with the women's program. Morrow is the coaching mentor and former collegiate coach of head coach Jan Dowling and the father of assistant coach Mandi Unruh.

Prior to his arrival in Ann Arbor, Morrow spent 14 years at the head women's golf coach at Kent State before retiring in 2013. In 14 years with the Golden Flashes, they won 14 Mid-American Conference titles and 11 Golden Flashes earned MAC Championship medalist honors. Morrow himself has 10 MAC Coach of the Year trophies.

A Kent State alumnus and former All-American for the men's team, Morrow took the reins and developed the Kent State women's program from the ground up in 1997. From the team's inaugural season in 1998-99, the Golden Flashes experienced tremendous success.

Morrow has coached 13 MAC Players of the Year, nine Freshmen of the Year and 59 All-MAC honorees, including 39 All-MAC First Team selections. Kent State golfers have earned honorable mention All-America honors from the National Golf Coaches Association and Golfweek three times apiece while garnering NGCA All-Scholar accolades 31 times.

After guiding Kent State to its first appearance in both the NCAA Central Regional and the NCAA Championships in 2001, Morrow was named the Central Region Coach of the Year by the National Golf Coaches Association of America and the National Coach of the Year by Golfweek magazine. That year, the Golden Flashes finished seventh at the NCAA Regional and a program-best 15th at the NCAA Championship -- in just their third year of existence.

The 2002-03 edition of the Golden Flashes won four tournaments, including its fifth consecutive MAC title and made its second appearance in the NCAA Championships. The team was ranked as high as 19th in Golf World's Women's Coaches Poll, the Golfweek/Sagarin poll and the NGCA Coaches Poll.

In 2007-08, Morrow led the United States to a dominating 37-23 victory over Japan at the Fuji Xerox USA vs. Japan Collegiate Golf Championship, which was held in mid-July at Tokyo Golf Club. He was tabbed by the Golf Coaches Association of America to lead the American side in the 33rd annual competition.

In 2009-10, the Golden Flashes collected their 12th consecutive MAC Tournament title, making the Kent State women's golf program one of the most dominant teams in the conference - in any sport. When Martina Gavier captured MAC medalist honors, she became the ninth different player for Kent State to claim the conference's elite achievement. Kent State went on to advance to the 2010 NCAA Championship, the team's fourth appearance at the season finale.

Morrow was previously the head professional and manager of the Kent State Golf Course since January 1990 and is a Class "A" professional with the PGA of America since 1981. He served on both the NCAA Regional Selection and NGCA All-American committees from 2003-05.

A native of Stow, Ohio, Morrow was the first All-America golfer in Golden Flash history, earning honorable mention in 1973. He was the Mid-American Conference medalist that year and earned All-MAC honors for three consecutive seasons (1973-75). He was inducted into the Varsity "K" Hall of Fame in 1987, joining the ninth class given that honor.

JON SANDERSON

Title: Head Strength and Conditioning Coach

Jon Sanderson has been the head strength and conditioning coach for the University of Michigan men’s basketball team as well as the U-M men’s and women’s golf programs since 2009. He is regarded as one of the top basketball/golf strength and conditioning coaches in the business. Sanderson is the only strength and conditioning coach in NCAA history to participate in a Final Four as a player (1999, Ohio State) and a coach (2013 and 2018, Michigan).

In his 11 seasons in Ann Arbor, Sanderson has helped the Wolverine basketball program to 8 NCAA Tournament bids, including trips to the 2013 Final Four -- the first for the program in 20 years, followed by a return trip to the Elite Eight in 2014 and an appearance in the National Championship game in 2018. In addition to NCAA postseason play, U-M has won two Big Ten titles, including 2012, which was the first for the program since 1986. The Wolverines also won their first outright Big Ten title in 28 years in 2014 with a 15-3 record, winning the league by three games and have won the Big Ten Tournament in back-to-back seasons (2017 & 2018).

Sanderson’s work with the U-M men’s golf program has yielded eight NCAA regional bids with five team and three individual, as well as a top-10 national finish (2010-11). In addition to postseason successes, the Maize and Blue has collected 42 top-five team finishes with six titles and 15 individual medalist honors. Sanderson has been instrumental in the development of All-America golfers Lion Kim (2011) and Kyle Mueller (2017) as well as All-Big Ten golfers Kim (2010, '11), Matt Thompson (2010, '12), Chris O'Neill (2014), and Mueller (2015, '16, '17, '18).

Additionally, with the help of Sanderson's program, Kim competed in the 2011 Masters, while Mueller played in the 2016 U.S. Open and three straight U.S. Amateur Championships (2015, '16, '17) and Nick Carlson was a semifinalist at the 2016 U.S. Amateur.

With the women’s golf program, Sanderson has five NCAA regional appearances -- four team and one individual. In 2016, the women’s team advanced to just the program’s second-ever trip to the NCAA finals. The following year, the Wolverines repeated the feat advancing again and tying for 16th-- the highest finish in U-M history.

Individually, Sanderson's work with Elodie Van Dievoet helped propel her to the program's first Big Ten Championship with a record-setting 210 (-6) performance helping her earn the program's first women's golf All-America honor. Sanderson has also been instrumental in the development of All-Big Ten golfers Ashley Bauer (2010), Yugene Lee (2012), Grace Choi (2016), Catherine Peters (2016), and Van Dievoet (2017).

Before joining the Michigan staff, Sanderson spent three years (2006-09) working at Clemson University as the men’s and women’s basketball strength and conditioning coach, as well as the director of the Littlejohn Coliseum weight room. During Sanderson’s time at Clemson, the men’s basketball team won 20 or more games for three straight seasons -- a first in program history. Also, during those three seasons, only North Carolina and Duke had more wins than Clemson in the ACC.

Prior to his time at Clemson, he served as the head strength and conditioning coach and sports nutrition coordinator for Olympic sports at Marshall University (2003-06). Before heading to Marshall, Sanderson was a strength and conditioning intern at North Carolina, working with the men’s basketball program (2002-03).

Throughout Sanderson’s career, he has trained 18 student-athletes that have gone on to play professional basketball in the NBA, including Michigan’s Darius Morris, Manny Harris, Tim Hardaway, Jr., Trey Burke, Nik Stauskas, Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III, Caris LeVert, D.J. Wilson, Derrick Walton, Jr., Moritz Wagner, and Duncan Robinson. Sanderson also trained former Michigan men’s golfer Lion Kim, who competed in the 2011 Masters.

Sanderson received both his bachelor’s in communication (2001) and master’s in sport sciences (2002) from Ohio University. Sanderson’s professional certifications include Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA); Strength and Conditioning Coach Certified (CSCCa); Registered Strength and Conditioning Coach (NSCA);
United States Weightlifting Level 1 Club Coach (USAW); Functional Movement Systems Level 1 (FMS); Titleist Performance Institute Level 1 (TPI); Corrective Exercise Specialist (NASM-CES); and CPR/AED Certified (American Red Cross).

A native of Mansfield, Ohio, Sanderson played college basketball at Ohio State University (1997-99) and Ohio University (2000-02). Sanderson was the starting small forward on Ohio State’s 1999 Final Four team.

Sanderson was a high school basketball standout at Lexington High School in Ohio. He was a four-year varsity starter and earned All-America honorable mention from USA Today and Street and Smith magazine. Sanderson was also named first team All-Ohio as well as earning Division II Player of the Year in 1997.

Sanderson and his wife Jennifer (Sessor) have three children, Jonathan and twins, Joshua and Jillian, and reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan.