Eastern head golf coach Mike Moncel has plenty of responsibilities.

Moncel is the head coach for both the men’s and women’s teams, which sometimes causes problems in scheduling.

Moncel has to choose which team he is going to travel with when tournaments are played on the same day because he is the only coach.

This problem arose at the end of March when the men were playing the Missouri State Invitational in Hollister, Mo., and the women were playing the Southern Illinois Saluki Invitational in Cartersville.

For that trip, Moncel chose to travel with the men, whose meet started one day later.

Moncel said he usually chooses the meet that is farther away.

“I alternate,” Moncel said. “If there’s a conflict, I’ll be with the women. It all depends with the schedule. Usually it depends on who I can get to drive. I’ll usually take the long trip, and I usually give my assistant the short trip.”

Moncel’s assistant is first-year elementary school teacher Bob Edwards.

Edwards is a volunteer and helps Moncel when Edwards gets a chance, Moncel said.

Junior Carrie Riordan and junior Kate Imburgia said Edwards serves primarily as a driver for the trips and does not really offer feedback.

Moncel said he tries to maintain contact with Edwards when he is at another tournament.

“I try to keep track, but it is kind of hard when you have five people playing all over the golf course,” Moncel said. “You can only be at one spot at a time. You can only get one story.”

Riordan said there is a difference when Moncel travels with the men’s team.

“Coach is out there at practice and knows us and how we play,” Riordan said. “We’ve known Coach for a long time, and it is different with him not out there giving instruction.”

After tournaments, Moncel calls and wants to know everything about the rounds. Riordan said.

“He always wants to know how we played, and he is always there for confidence,” she said.

Imburgia said it is different but not that bad when coach is not there.

“It is a little different because we do not get any feedback,” Imburgia said.

Imburgia – whose brothers, seniors Matt and Mike, are on the men’s team – said Moncel might find out how she plays from her brothers.

“I also call my brothers after I play and tell them everything,” Imburgia said. “He probably finds out from talking to my brothers or from (Edwards).”

The women’s next tournament will be the Ohio Valley Conference Championships on April 14 in Florence, Ala.

The men will compete this weekend at the Illinois Invitational in Urbana.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or at dscusack@eiu.edu.

Redshirt freshman Jenna Fox works on her chipping with Head Golf Coach Mike Moncel during practice Tuesday afternoon at Meadowview Golf Course in Mattoon. (John Bailey/The Daily Eastern News)

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