Head coach Troy Boone enters his 11th-straight year with the Falcons in 2016-17, and is looking to lead the program to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in four seasons.
SInce 2010 the Falcons have won the MAC Commonwealth Championship three times, and they've now made three appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In the spring of 2015 the Falcons accomplished their best-ever finish in the NCAAs with a 19th-place overall team finish. Additionally, Justin Sission landed t-21st for the highest finish ever by a Messiah individual.
The Falcons also won 10 tournaments across the 2015-16 seasons, with five wins in each the fall and spring seasons.
Well before Boone started his current 11-year run as head coach, he was the Falcons' program leader for a single season in 1998-1999. During that campaign he helped Messiah to a runner-up finish in the conference. Since returning as head coach in 2006, Boone has led the program to unparalleled success.
In the past nine seasons the Falcons have finished in the top three of the Commonwealth eight times, and they've been either champion or runner-up five times. They've earned conference titles in 2010, 2014, and 2015, and Boone has been named conference Coach of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2015.
In addition to building strong teams, Boone has coached accomplished individuals. Among that group is Matt Burkhart, arguably the most decorated player in program history. In addition to being named 2010 Commonwealth Rookie of the Year, Burkhart earned three Commonwealth Golfer of the Year awards and was a four-time PING All-Region performer.
Burkhart became the program's first-ever golfer to make the cut at the NCAA Championships, doing so in 2010 when he finished 31st overall in Hershey, Pa. Sisson became the second player to make the cut this past season and, as mentioned earlier, he finished t-21st overall.
In the spring of 2016 Boone also coached Jordan Kirsch to the MAC Commonwealth Individual Title.
“Messiah is a very special place, and we believe we can have the same type of success as our other high-caliber sports programs,” Boone said. “We’ve taken some huge steps in recent years. We want to continue building from here.”
Boone’s leadership has equated to higher levels of success behind recruiting and technical advancement, as Messiah golfers now benefit from digital range finders and an on-campus golf simulator. The program also began playing at the private, Clubs at Colonial Ridge facility using Blue Ridge Country Club as the home course.
“Moving to Blue Ridge was the starting point for us many years ago,” Boone said. “The club has been fabulous to work with and the course is very challenging. Our goal is to continue to recruit high-caliber players that want to be part of a faith-based institution. Faith is a foundation of our guys ... it gives us a center point to draw on, and helps us in those adverse situations on the golf course. Our team ideals are based on Joshua 1:9 being ‘Strong & Courageous.’ We want to always keep this in mind as we continue our journey. We operate as a small family on campus within athletics and we are focusing more on our mental games as well as our physical playing training. We’re trying to create a unique niche, and I think we’re succeeding.”
Boone graduated from Liberty University in 1988 with a degree in business marketing and management, and worked in education finance for 16 years. As mentioned, he was appointed interim head coach during the 1998-1999 season, but his business endeavors pulled him out of coaching at the season’s conclusion. When Boone changed jobs and the position re-opened in the summer of 2006, he jumped at the chance to return.
“When I took this job, I wanted this team to succeed,” he said. “I wasn’t going to be partially invested. To be able to have the time and resources to really provide a focus for this program ... it’s been a blessing.”
In addition to his coaching at Messiah, Boone is President of SEEGIL Partners Inc. and is married to Messiah alum Dawn (Rossman). The couple has four children: daughter Lauren, and sons Ethan, Graham, and Gabriel. The family resides in nearby Mechanicsburg, Pa.
