THE PAVON FILES

TENNESSEE'S COACHING HIGHLIGHTS

Past President of the WGCA (Formerly known as NGCA)
UT Coaching Record for Head-to-Head Wins (2,212)
UT Coaching Record for Tournament Team Titles (22)
12 NCAA Championship appearances
2006 SEC Coach of the Year
29 All-America Awards
60 All-SEC Awards
51 Academic All-America Awards

LGPA Tour Player Highlights

Competed in five LPGA major championships
Won the LPGA Southeast Section Championship in 1997

Student-Athlete Highlights

Graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama in 1989
NGCA All-American as a senior
Three-time NGCA Academic All-American
First-Team All-SEC selection in 1989
Paul "Bear" Bryant Student-Athlete of the Year award recipient
Led Alabama in stroke average as a junior and senior

High School Accomplishments

1984 and 1985 Montana State High School Medalist
Montana's 1986 and 1989 Amateur Champion
Inducted into the Montana State Women's Golf Hall of Fame in 1996

Personal

She and her husband, Luis, a former UA golfer, live in Knoxville and are the proud parents of two daughters, Alexa and Maya.
Born November 9

Updated May 27, 2021

After 21 seasons at the helm of the Tennessee Women's Golf Program, departing following the 2020-21 season, Judi Pavon led Tennessee to unprecedented success, including 11 NCAA Championship appearances in her 21 full seasons as head coach. Announced as UT's head coach in 2000, the former LPGA Tour player and collegiate All-American brought experience as a student-athlete, coach and professional with a level of enthusiasm and attitude for winning that was contagious and inspiring.

For over two decades under Pavon, the Volunteer golf program has been a force in the Southeastern Conference and on the national level under Pavon. During her career on Rocky Top, the 2006 SEC Coach of the Year led the Big Orange to 12 total NCAA Championship appearances, including when she served as the interim coach to conclude the 1999-2000 season. The Lady Vols achieved four straight berths from 2009-12. The Helena, Montana, native holds the Tennessee coaching records for head-to-head wins (2,212) and tournament titles (22).

Pavon's charge also enjoyed individual success both on the golf course and in the classroom. Under Pavon, Lady Vols have been named All-Americans 25 times, garnered All-SEC status on 41 occasions and flourished in the classroom, bringing home 51 WGCA Academic All-America citations. Pavon put four on the WGCA All-Academic list in 2018, including Micheala Williams, Mariah Smith and Waverly Whiston. The success of the program on both the athletic and academic levels should come as no surprise, as Pavon has an extensive golf background that includes a professional career spanning from 1989-94 with two years on the LPGA Tour.

Toward the end of her Tennessee coaching career, Pavon was honored with the Gladys Palmer Meritorious Service Award from the Women's Golf Coaches Association. The award is the organization's most prestigious honor and recognized Pavon's years of service to the organization. She was recognized on Dec. 8, 2019, at the WGCA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which took place at Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

2020-21 Season Recap
The Lady Vols’ 2020-21 campaign saw them reach the program’s 28th consecutive trip to NCAA Regionals, as Tennessee competed at the Louisville Regional and placed tenth. In the final tournament of the fall portion of the season, Tennessee shot 1-over at the Liz Murphey Fall Collegiate Classic for a second-place finish and was just one stroke behind first place. Mikayla Bardwell claimed the title share at Liz Murphey in November and that performance marked the start of three-straight top-seven efforts.

Freshman Kayla Holden began her collegiate career with back-to-back tournaments in her home state of Florida to begin the spring season. In the second tournament appearance of her career, at the Gators Invitational, Holden finished tied for sixth (+2, 212) and won the SEC Freshman of the Week Award. Tennessee’s lowest team score of the season came at the SEC Championship in April, when the Lady Vols shot -11 (853). The three-day performance tied the seventh-best team score after 54 holes in Lady Vol program history.

To conclude the regular season, sophomore Nicole Whiston won SEC Newcomer of the Week after an even-par (216) performance in which she tied for sixth place at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic

A tenth place finish (+18) at NCAA Regionals was highlighted by Bardwell’s second place individual finish as she advanced to the NCAA Championship as an individual after a score of 66 in round three, having shot -3 (213) overall. She placed T97 in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the NCAA Championship.

21 Seasons of Excellence
21. The Lady Vols capped off the season with their 28th trip to NCAA Regionals in program history. Tennessee is one of just nine schools in the country to make each of the 28 NCAA Regionals, which began in the spring of 1993. In the spring of 2021, the Lady Vols acquired an SEC Player of the Week nomination (Kayla Holden) and an SEC Newcomer of the Week Award (Nicole Whiston) Mikayla Bardwell became the sixth golfer in Lady Vol program history to advance to the NCAA Championship as an individual, after finishing tied for second place (-3, 213) at the Louisville Regional.

20. The Lady Vols capped off the season with their 14th trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history and the 12th in the Judi Pavon era. Tennessee is one of just 21 schools in the country to have 14 or more appearances in the NCAA Championships. The season was highlighted by six top-5 finishes including a pair of team victories at the Starmount Classic and the Florida Atlantic Winter Warm Up. At the FAU Winter Warm Up in Feburary, the Lady Vols won by a school record 42 strokes over the field while sophomore Mariah Smith won the individual crown.

Tennessee was the only school in the SEC to have three individual champions in 2018-19 as freshman Malia Stovall and junior Micheala Williams joined Smith as individual winners. Williams, who won at the Florida Gators Invitational in Match also was named Co-Champion of the Clemson Invitational to cap off the regular season. She would go on to earn All-SEC second team honors, leading the Lady Vols in stroke average (73.14), rounds of par or better (14), top-10 finishes (6) and rounds in the 60s (8).

19. Tennessee returned to the national stage in 2018-19, making its 14th appearance in the NCAA Championships in program history. The Lady Vols qualified after finishing in the top six at the NCAA Auburn Regional. In the regular season, Tennessee captured two team titles at the Starmount Classic and Florida Atlantic Winter Warm Up. UT also had three individual champions, the most in the conference, with Malia Stovall, Micheala Williams and Mariah Smith all claiming an individual title.

18. Tennessee was led by sophomore Micheala Williams in 2017-18 as she carded a 74.27 average and nine rounds of par or better through 12 tournaments. With her seventh place finish at the Tallahassee Regional, Williams became just the fifth individual from Tennessee to qualify for the NCAA Championship and the first since Erica Popson did so in 2013 as a senior.

17. En route to earning it's 25th consecutive NCAA Regional bid, five different Tennessee players earned the No. 1 spot in the lineup during the season. Throughout the year, the Lady Vols were led by junior Blakesly Warren who carded a 73.53 average, 12 rounds of par or better and four top-10 finishes. Academically, UT posted a 3.79 GPA to set a new program and Tennessee Athletics record.

16. For the second consecutive year, the Lady Vols distinguished themselves as one of the top women's golf programs in the country, placing 16th at the NCAA Championship under the direction of Pavon. Tennessee was led by sophomore Anna Newell who not only placed 4th at the NCAA Championship, but also earned First Team All-America honors from the Women's Golf Coaches Association. Additionally, Newell set two NCAA records—54-hole record for total strokes (198) and relation to par (-18)—en route to earning the individual title at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown.

15. It was a record setting 2014-15 season for the program as Tennessee made its 23rd consecutive NCAA Regional appearance and finished in a tie for fifth place at the NCAA National Championship. The team won two tournaments in the spring, the Westbrook Springs Invite and SDSU Farms Invite. In every tournament during the spring, the Lady Vols finished in fifth place or better and had 10 top-10 finishes in the 11 team events played in. Records broken included team low round (276), low scores after 36 holes (557), first round low score (276) and team season scoring average (291.74).

14. Fueled by lone senior Chessey Thomas, the Lady Vols made their 22nd consecutive NCAA Regional appearance during the 2013-14 season. The team captured the 2014 Lady Bulldog championship with Thomas scoring the individual title. UT finished its season with a 16th place finish at the NCAA Washington Regional.
13. The Lady Vols relied on the solid play of their seniors, Erica Popson and Sara Monberg, to see them through the 2012-13 season. The team had a season-best finish (runner-up) at the Mercedes-Benz Championship while Popson won the FSU Seminole Match Up. UT capped off its season with a ninth place finish at the NCAA Auburn Regional and Popson went on to finish T-29th at the NCAA Championship as an individual.

12. The Lady Vols collected two tournament victories in 2011-12, winning the LSU Tiger Classic and the Bryan National Intercollegiate. UT came out with a fourth place finish at the NCAA Central Regional, punching a ticket the 11th NCAA Championship appearance in program history where Tennessee finished 19th.

11. In the 2010-11 season, Pavon led her team to a 13th place finished at the NCAA Championship, while finishing 11th in the conference. The Lady Vols won their third-consecutive Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship; Tennessee took the Rebel Intercollegiate title in the spring before placing second at the NCAA West Regional and finishing 13th at NCAAs. Erica Popson nabbed individual medalist honors five times over the course of the season, including the SEC Championship and the NCAA West Regional.

10. In her ten year mark as coach, the 2009-10 season was one of Pavon's most successful campaigns with the Orange and White, as UT won back-to-back tournaments, the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship and the Alamo Invitational, in October to wrap up the fall. Sophomore star Nathalie Mansson nabbed medalist honors at both tournaments, as well, while the Mercedes-Benz win was by a tournament-record 19 strokes.

9. After Pavon's Lady Vols placed in the top-10 only once in four fall tournaments of the 2008-2009 season, Tennessee reeled off six consecutive top-eight placements en route to the program's eighth national championship appearance. Freshman Nathalie Mansson burst onto the collegiate scene that season by capturing All-East Region, All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team honors, while leading the Lady Vols with the former UT freshman record average of 73.79 (current record of 73.00 was set by Anna Newell in 2014-15).

8. The Lady Vols opened the 2007-08 fall season with two second-place finishes, but struggled to find consistency in the spring, missing the NCAA Championships for the first time in five seasons.

7. In the 2006-07 campaign, Pavon led Tennessee to its fourth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. Marci Turner captured her second All-America award, while sophomore Nicole Smith nabbed her first A-A honor, as the Orange and White capped the season with a 17th-place finish at their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship. Turner also became the second Vol to earn the prestigious Edith Cummings Munson Award given to the All-American with the highest grade point average in the country.

6. Pavon snagged SEC Coach of the Year accolades after leading the Lady Vols to three event titles in 2005-06. The Big Orange took first at the NCAA East Regional and 13th at the NCAA Championship.

5. During the 2004-05 season, Tennessee tied for sixth place at the NCAA Championship, qualifying to the tournament by winning the NCAA West Regional. Additionally, Violeta Retamoza had one of the best seasons in Big Orange history and captured SEC Player of the Year and First Team All-SEC honors.

4. The Lady Vols returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2000 campaign in 2003-04, finishing 11th. Individual achievements included Jessica Shepley earning honorable mention All-America laurels and Violeta Retamoza tying for first at the SEC Championship.

3. To begin the 2002-03 season, Tennessee won three tournament titles, including the Lady Kat Invitational, Auburn Derby, and Lady Boilermaker Invitational. Individually, Violeta Retamoza took the college scene by storm, gaining Second Team All-America accolades. She also joined Jessica Shepley on the All-SEC First Team.

2. In Pavon's second full year as head coach (2001-2002), the Lady Vols won the Alabama Capstone Intercollegiate tournament and finished the season ranked No. 8 for the second straight year. Young-A Yang also capped her career as the first four-time All-American in program history.

1. During the 2000-2001 season, Pavon's first full year as head coach, she guided the Orange and White to back-to-back team victories at the Greenwave Classic and Betsy Rawls Intercollegiate, marking the first time since 1997 that a UT team had accomplished that feat. She also saw her team knock nearly six strokes off the team average and coached Young-A Yang to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Championship.

The Beginning. Pavon took the reigns of the program as interim head coach in 2000. She took Tennessee to Ohio State for the NCAA East Regional and coached the team to a fourth place finish, qualifying them for the NCAA Championship in Sunriver, Ore. The Lady Vols placed fifth at the national tournament, including best in the East Region ahead of perrenial favorite Duke University.

Lady Vols in the Pros, Coaching Ranks
Since Pavon became head coach of the Orange and White in 2000, 20 Lady Vols have competed in the pro ranks, including seven who have played on the LPGA Tour.

Playing for Pavon also appears to be a great prep for a career in coaching after an athlete's competitive days wrap up. Carrie Parnaby (formerly Carrie Cole), who played at UT from 1998-02 and then was an assistant coach at Rocky Top, was named the head women's golf coach at UTSA in 2008. Additionally, two Tennessee grads nabbed coaching positions in the SEC. Golda Johansson Borst was named the head women's golf coach at the University of Kentucky, while Vanderbilt selected Holly Clark (formerly Holly Cantwell), to be its assistant coach. Borst played at Tennessee from 2002-06 before spending three years as an assistant coach at LSU. Clark played for Tennessee from 2003-07 and was previously the head coach at Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tenn. Most recently, former Tennessee standout Diana Cantu; was named head women's golf coach at the University of Maryland in June of 2014. The move followed a three-year stint as the top assistant coach at Baylor.

Pavon was a Star Student-Athlete Too
Tennessee's unprecedented success under Pavon should come as no surprise, as not only does she have an extensive coaching background, but she was also a star golfer on the high school, collegiate and professional levels.

Pavon (formerly Schneider) graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama in 1989. At The Capstone, she was a NGCA All-American as a senior and a three-time NGCA Academic All-American. The SEC also tabbed Pavon as a first-team all-conference selection in 1989. She claimed two individual titles and qualified as an individual for the NCAA Championships in 1989. Moreover, she was honored with the prestigious Paul "Bear" Bryant Student-Athlete of the Year award. As a team, the Crimson Tide finished ninth at the 1987 NCAA Championship, Alabama's first appearance ever. She led the club in stroke average her junior and senior seasons.

After her collegiate career wrapped up, Pavon continued her success in the professional ranks, where she competed in five LPGA major championships - the 1992 and 1997 LPGA Championships, 1991 and 1993 U.S. Open and the 1992 duMaurier Championship. She also captured the LPGA Southeast Section Championship in 1997. Overall, she was a member of the LPGA Tour from 1991-92 and competed on the FUTURES Tour in 1990 and 1993-94.
Her career began in Montana, as she became a prep star and captured the 1984 and 1985 Montana State High School titles. Additionally, she was crowned the state's Amateur Champion in 1986 and 1989 and was inducted into the Montana State Women's Golf Hall of Fame in 1996.

Success from the Start
Pavon had success from the minute she took over the Lady Vol program as the interim head coach for the final two tournaments of the 1999-00 season. After serving as an assistant since 1997, she took her first team to the NCAA Championships, where it finished fifth - the best national tournament finish in Orange and White history (also placed fifth at the 2015 NCAA Championship).

A year later, Pavon was named the Southeast Section Coach of the Year by the LPGA and although the Lady Vols didn't make a return trip to the 2006 NCAA Championship, Yang placed fifth as an individual at the national event and captured First Team All-America honors.

In Pavon's second full year as head coach, 2001-02, the Lady Vols finished the season ranked No. 8 for the second straight year. Yang capped her career as the first four-time All-American in program history.

In 2002-03, Tennessee won three tournament titles and freshman Violeta Retamoza took the college scene by storm, gaining Second Team All-America accolades and joining Shepley on the All-SEC First Team.

In a little over three seasons, Pavon already had led UT to a new-coaching record of six event titles, coached a four-time All-American and led the Lady Vols to their highest placement ever in the national tournament.

NCAA Success
Despite the success, the Lady Vols failed to qualify as a team to the NCAA Championship in the three years after Pavon took over. However, that quickly changed, as UT returned to the national event each of the next four seasons (2004-2007). Heading into this season, Tennessee has cemented itself as a perennial national power, competing at NCAAs in 11 of the last 14 seasons including two regional titles.

Pavon guided the Lady Vols to back-to-back NCAA Championship tournaments for the first time since the 2011 and 2012 campaigns. In 2014-15, the Big Orange finished in fifth place and AJ Newell and Anna Newell earned honorable mention All-America laurels while Anna and Lucia Polo made All-SEC Second Team. Polo was also named the SEC Academic Player of the Year. In 2015-16, Tennessee placed 16th at the tournament and Anna Newell placed fourth, the highest finish by a Vol in program history. Additionally, Newell earned First-Team All-American honors and was named to the All-SEC First Team. Lucia Polo was also named the SEC Academic Player of the Year for the second straight year.