John Crooks Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame bio
John Crooks Tales from the Creek Podcast (June 2025) Part 1
John Crooks Tales from the Creek Podcast (June 2025) Part 2
Campbell Golf Under Coach John Crooks
(As of July 1, 2025)
3 All-Americans
2 Academic All-Americans
24 GCAA All-American Scholars
33 WGCA All-American Scholars
38 NCAA Regional Appearances
5 NCAA Championship Appearances
28 Conference Players of the Year
17 Conference Freshmen of the Year
27 Conference Team Championships
23 Conference Coach of the Year Awards
162 Team Tournament Titles (100 women, 62 men)
215 All-Conference Team Members
381 Conference All-Academic Team Members
The 2025-26 season marks John Crooks’ 36th year on the Campbell Golf staff and first as Director of Golf. He has served as head women’s coach since 1991 and was the head men’s coach for 35 years from 1990-2025.
One of the top collegiate golf coaches in the country, the Winston-Salem, N.C., native was inducted into the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January 2006. He was inducted into the Campbell Athletics Hall of Fame in January 2025.
Crooks, who was named men’s head coach in 1990 and added women’s duties one year later, is the third-longest tenured active Division I women’s head coach. Before he handed off the men’s head coaching responsibilities to Campbell alum and longtime assistant Matt Moot on July 1, 2025, Crooks’ tenure was the fifth-longest among active D1 men’s head coaches.
“Coach Crooks is an institution in collegiate golf, an even better person, and we are so lucky to have him continue to lead our golf programs,” said Athletics Director Hannah Bazemore. “His leadership, dedication to our student-athletes and Campbell University, and wealth of knowledge are all invaluable. Coach Crooks has also developed incredible coaches, including Matt Moot and Valeria Patino, and I can’t wait to see them, and our great golf programs continue to grow.”
No one who has coached both men’s and women’s golf at the Division I level has won more combined tournaments than Crooks. His 100 women’s coaching victories stand second all-time, while he stands 10th on the all-time men’s Division I tournament coaching wins list with 62.
Under Crooks’ guidance, Campbell’s men or women have reached NCAA postseason play 16-consecutive times. The Campbell women competed in the 2025 NCAA Lubbock (Texas) Regional, while Henric Bjelke was an individual competitor in the 2025 NCAA Amherst (Va.) Regional.
Over the last 35 years, Crooks has led the women’s team to 19 conference titles and 26 NCAA Regional appearances. His women’s teams have advanced to regional play 23 times in the last 27 chances, including 12 of the last 13.
His women have won seven of their last nine conference titles and the men have won three times since 2017 (2017, 2019, 2021) and finished as runner-up twice (2018, 2020).
In 34 years as coach of the Campbell Women, Crooks’ teams have finished either first (19) or second (10) in their league championship 29 times.
Crooks ranks second all-time among all Division I women’s coaches in tournament victories with 100, trailing only Dan Brooks of Duke (143). His women have won at least one tournament in 32 of the 34 years in which he has served as head coach. Win No. 100 on the women’s side came at the Golfweek Fall Challenge, Sept. 8-10, 2024.
Coach Crooks has directed 215 golfers to all-conference honors during his tenure and 381 individuals to all-academic honors.
Including 2025 honoree Alicia Olsson, CU players guided by Crooks have been named conference player of the year 28 times. Georges Plumet, Mara Larrauri, Alejandra Shaw, Kaylin Yost, Annelie Sjoholm, Jesper Svensson and Emily Hawkins each received that recognition twice. He has guided 17 conference freshmen of the year, including 2025 CAA rookies of the year Fanni Gronlund and Benjamin Killingstad.
His men’s (2018) or women’s (2014, 2015, 2017) teams have been represented at the NCAA Championships four times since 2014. Pontus Nyholm birdied the third playoff hole at the Raleigh Regional to earn an individual berth in the 2018 NCAA Championship.
Crooks has been named conference Coach of the Year 23 times overall between men’s and women’s competition. He was named Big South women’s coach of the year seven times during Campbell’s second tenure in the Big South Conference from 2011-12 to 2022-23.
He has mentored dozens of professionals, including PGA Tour members Brad Fritsch, David Mathis and Jesper Svensson, Korn Ferry Tour members Nyholm and Ben Polland, and PGA Canada Tour member Vaita Guillaume. Seven Camels over the last seven seasons have gone on to play in PGA or European sanctioned tours.
Svensson and Polland competed in the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla, while Svensson also played in The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
On the women’s side, Sandra Angulo, Michelle Koh, Lisbeth Brooks, Kaylin Yost, Nadine White, Anna Nordfors and Tomita Arejola are the latest Camels to play on the LPGA developmental Epson Tour, while Mary Mattson was on the Ladies European Tour and Tahnia Ravnjak has played on the LPGA China Tour. Koh, a 2012 Campbell graduate, represented her native Malaysia in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In 2025, the Campbell women earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Lubbock Regional after ranking No. 51 nationally. Alicia Olsson was named CAA co-golfer of the year and Fanni Gronlund was tabbed as rookie of the year. Isabella Hahne and Olsson were named Academic All-District by the College Sports Communicators.
The 2025 Campbell men not only won the team title at the Cutter Creek Intercollegiate but also held the 36-hole lead at the CAA Championship before finishing third. CAA individual medalist Henric Bjelke earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Amherst regional. Benjamin Killingstad was named CAA rookie of the year, marking the fourth-consecutive year a Campbell men’s golfer was chosen as his league’s top freshman.
Bjelke, Logan Graf and Erik Johansson were chosen Academic All-District.
In 2024, Sanna Lundmark earned the CAA Institutional Scholar Award and was joined by Grimbrandt on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team. Lundmark, Grimbrandt, Berglund and Olsson were named All-America Scholars by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.
Led by a pair of outstanding freshmen in Johansson and Joachim Larsen Tegner, Campbell also placed fourth in its first CAA Men’s Golf Championship. Johansson, who was named CAA rookie of the year and earned an individual berth in the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional, won the Seahawk Intercollegiate and finished T10 at the CAA event. Larsen Tegner (8th) was Campbell’s low individual in the CAA Championship, while junior Henric Bjelke finished 18th.
Bjelke was named All-America Scholar by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Despite losing the top two players in program history to graduation, the 2022-23 Campbell women extended the program’s record postseason appearance streak to 11 seasons. Campbell won the Golfweek Fall Challenge, plus the Sea Best Intercollegiate and the Big South Championship to run Crooks’ total coaching win total to 99. CU added the Big South match play crown to the stroke play title for the third season in a row.
Isabella Hahne was named Big South freshman of the year after posting the third-best stroke average ever by a Camel frosh and joined on the all-conference first team by Patricia Garre Munoz. Sanna Lundmark was the Big South scholar-athlete of the year and named to the all-league second team along with Tomita Arejola, who was the Big South stroke play runner-up. Hahne and Taylah Ellems were named to the all-freshman team.
Arejola, Garre Munoz and Lundmark were named All-America Scholar by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, while six members were named to the Big South Presidential Honor Roll.
On the men’s side, Henrik Lilja was named Big South scholar-athlete of the year for the second-straight season and Tim Holmberg was chosen freshman of the year. Lilja and Edwin Blomander were first-team all-league selections, Tim Holmberg and Douglas Nordlof were named to the second team and Alejandro Cogollo was an honorable mention choice. Holmberg and Amadeus Susanto were chosen to the all-freshman team.
Eleven members of the men’s team were named to the Big South Presidential Honor Roll, while Blomander, Claude Churchward, Cogollo, Lilja and Nordlof earned GCAA All-America Scholar status.
In the 2021-22 season, Campbell’s women claimed six tournament victories – including the Big South Championship. The Camels opened with a victory at the Golfweek Fall Challenge and also won the White Sands Bahamas Invitational last semester. CU won four times in the 2022 spring campaign, at the Sea Best Intercollegiate, Briar’s Creek Invitational and Babs Steffens Invitational in addition to the Big South tourney.
His 2021-22 team featured the Big South Conference golfer of the year (Emily Hawkins), Championship medalist (Anna Nordfors), scholar-athlete of the year (Tomita Arejola) and two other all-conference performers in Sanna Lundmark and Patricia Garre Munoz. For the second-straight year, the Camels won the Big South stroke play title, then claimed the match play crown one day later.
Arejola, Garre Munoz, Lundmark and Nordfors were named All-America Scholar by the WGCA and nine Camel women’s golfers earned a place on the Big South Presidential Honor Roll.
The 2021-22 Campbell men featured 2022 Big South golfer of the year and scholar-athlete of the year Henrik Lilja, as well as freshman of the year Henric Bjelke and all-conference performer Edwin Blomander. Lilja tied for first at the Big South stroke play championship and received an individual berth to compete in the NCAA Palm Beach Gardens Regional.
Lilja and Claude Churchward were named All-America Scholar by the GCAA and were two of nine Campbell men on the Big South Presidential Honor Roll.
After the COVID-19 pandemic halted the 2020 campaign and delayed the 2020-21 season until the spring semester, Crooks’ teams resumed their charge through the Big South Conference to extend their postseason streaks. The women opened the season with a victory at the Lady Bison Bay Point Classic and capped the regular year with their fifth-straight Big South title. Campbell won the league’s stroke play by 16 shots, then claimed a 3-1 win over High Point in the semis and a 3-0 triumph over Gardner-Webb in the finals of the inaugural Big South match play championship.
Anna Nordfors was named 2021 Big South Golfer of the Year and joined on the all-conference team by Isabell Ekstrom and Emily Hawkins. Patricia Garre Muñoz was named to the all-freshman team.
Six Camels – Tomita Arejola, Ekstrom, Garre Muñoz, Sanna Lundmark, Emily Mollard and Alice Sundberg – were named All-America Scholar by the WGCA, and all nine members of the team earned a place on the Big South Conference Presidential Honor Roll.
On the men’s side, the Camels finished in a tie for the 2021 Big South stroke play title, then won the match play segment over Gardner-Webb (3-0) and Radford (3-1). Pontus Nyholm was named Big South golfer of the year and joined on the all-conference team by Edwin Blomander, Josh Hetherington and Henrik Lilja. Romain Lanteri was named to the all-freshman team.
The 2021 Camels made a program-record fifth-straight trip to NCAA men’s postseason play at the Noblesville (Ind.) Regional.
Nyholm was ranked as high as No. 13 by Golfstat, No. 15 by PGA TOUR University and in the top 50 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. He won three of his first seven starts of the year – the Southern Invitational, Golfweek Spring Invitational and Stitch Intercollegiate. In the final round of the Stitch, Nyholm shot a 10-under-par 62, one stroke off the school mark, and set a school 54-hole record for most strokes below par (-17).
Lilja and Nyholm were named All-America Scholar by the GCAA and six Camels earned places on the Big South Presidential Honor Roll.
Nyholm capped his career by setting school records for lowest stroke average (71.17) and top 10 finishes (21) in addition to earning honorable mention All-America status and a place on Team International in the Arnold Palmer Cup.
Stacey White was named Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2020, while the Campbell women were ranked 24th in the preseason Golfweek national poll of a season that was halted in mid-March 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Campbell won the 2019 Big South women’s championship by 28 strokes. Emily Hawkins was just the third player in Big South history to be named league golfer- and freshman- of the year in the same season. Anna Svanka was named Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Hawkins and Svanka were joined on the all-conference team by Stacey White, Isabell Ekstrom and Anna Nordfors.
The team added tournament titles at the Golfweek Program Challenge (283-277-274—834), where the Camels set school 18-, 36- and 54-hole records. Ekstrom won medalist honors (67-67-68—202), setting the school 36- and 54-hole individual records in the process. Campbell also won the LSU Tiger Classic and finished the season with its highest-ever Golfstat ranking (23).
Campbell’s men earned a top-25 preseason national ranking (No. 23) in the fall of 2019, finished in a first-place tie at the Little Rock/First Tee Classic, while adding three runner-up finishes (Golfweek Conference Challenge Wolfpack Intercollegiate, Intercollegiate at Innisbrook) before the season was halted after six events due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Golf Coaches Association of American (GCAA) named junior Pontus Nyholm to the PING All-East Region team.
Crooks’ men’s team set a school record with five tournament wins in 2018-19, capped by the Big South Championship, where the Camels finished stroke play with a 32-shot edge before sweeping the league match play semis and final. Led by the league golfer of the year, Jesper Svensson, Campbell also won the Golfweek Program Challenge, OBX Intercollegiate (for the fourth-straight year), FGCU Classic and Golden Horseshoe Intercollegiate titles. Ray Kraivixien was named Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2019. He and Svensson were joined on the all-conference team by Brett McLamb, Pontus Nyholm and Max Theodorakis. Campbell’s trip to the NCAA Athens Regional marked the men’s fourth-straight post-season appearance, an unprecedented streak in the program’s storied history.
Isabell Ekstrom, Anna Svanka and Stacey White were named All-American Scholars by the WGCA for 2018-19 and all seven golfers on the women’s team gained Big South Presidential Honor Roll status.
Ray Kraivixien and Jesper Svensson were honored for the second-straight year with the Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar Award by the GCAA in 2019 and five Camels were named to the Big South Presidential Honor Roll.
Even with the two-time Big South player of the year Annelie Sjoholm resting an injury, Campbell collected its third-straight women’s conference title in 2018 by 37 strokes at The Patriot Golf Club in Ninety Six, S.C. Freshman Isabell Ekstrom (73-70-70—213) claimed individual medalist honors, while sophomore Stacey White (73-71-72—216) was runner-up. Ekstrom was named Big South freshman of the year and joined Sjoholm, Irizar and White on the all-conference team.
Ekstrom, Sjoholm, Anna Svanka and White earned the 2018 WGCA All-American Scholar Award and all six golfers on the women’s team gained Big South Presidential Honor Roll status.
Campbell collected four tournament wins to go along with three runner-up finishes in 2017-18. CU won the UNCG Starmount Forest Fall Classic before claiming the Amelia Island Collegiate, River Landing Classic and Big South Championship in the spring. Andersson set a school record with an 8-under-par 64 at the Briar’s Creek Invitational, while CU posted team 18- (276) and 36-hole (564) records at the SunTrust Gator Invitational.
In 2018, Campbell’s men finished among the top two teams at the Big South Championship for the fourth-straight year with a runner-up showing. Ray Kraivixien was named Big South player of the year, Pontus Nyholm was freshman of the year and the duo was joined on the all-conference team by Jesper Svensson and Brett McLamb.
Kraivixien and Svensson were named 2018 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
During 2017-18, the Campbell men won the OBX Intercollegiate and the Battle at Stono Ferry last fall and claimed a second-straight Border Olympics crown. Campbell set school 36- (540) and 54-hole (821) at the OBX Intercollegiate. Kraivixien broke the school 18-hole record by three strokes with an 11-under-par 61 Apr. 14 in the second round of the Stitch Intercollegiate, where he claimed his third, first-place finish of the season.
With four golfers among the top 10 individuals, Campbell won the 2017 Big South women’s championship by 25 strokes and set a conference tournament record by finishing 15-under par (849). Senior Nadine White was runner-up after shooting a Big South Championship and team record 7-under 65 in the final round. Annelie Sjoholm was named Big South player of the year and Desiree Andersson was recognized as the league’s freshman of the year. Ayelen Irizar and Anna Svanka joined White, Sjoholm and Andersson on the all-conference team. Sjoholm, Svanka and White earned the WGCA All-American Scholar Award.
Crooks also guided the Campbell men to a record-breaking performance in the 2017 Big South Championship. The Camels finished at 26-under-par 838 to break the previous league record of 844 set by Liberty in 2012. CU sophomore Jesper Svensson won individual honors at 14-under-par (67-66-69—202) to break the league record 204 set in 2007 by Dustin Johnson of Coastal Carolina.
Svensson was named Big South player of the year and was joined on the all-conference team by Ray Kraivixien. Thomas La Morte was named to the Big South all-championship team after finishing as runner-up at the league tournament. Craig Hornberger and La Morte were named Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American scholars by the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Campbell also claimed the season-opening 2016 Golfweek Program Challenge combined men’s and women’s crown for the fifth time in six years.
Nadine White was named 2016 Big South player of the year after winning Campbell’s 10th conference individual title. CU golfers finished 1- (White), 2- (Sjoholm) 3 (Ravnjak) in the league tournament for the second time in three years.
The 2016 Campbell men were named to the Golf Coaches Association of America All-Academic Team list. Chris Hornberger was recognized as a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar by the GCAA.
Louise Latorre and Annelie Sjoholm were named Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholars in 2016. The 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2013 Campbell women were presented with NCAA Public Recognition Awards for ranking among the top 10 percent in the nation in Academic Progress Rate. Campbell led all Big South women’s golf programs with seven Presidential Honor Roll members.
Crooks has also been actively involved in the oversight of the college game, serving as a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Committee from 2004-2008.
Under Crooks’ direction, Campbell golfers have made unprecedented strides in NCAA play. The Lady Camels have participated in NCAA post-season play in 26 of the past 32 seasons. Nadine White earned one of three individual berths from the Albuquerque Regional to the 2017 NCAA Championship. It was White’s third trip to the NCAA finals – including two with the 2014 and 2015 teams – in her storied career.
For the second-straight year (and third overall), his women advanced to the NCAA Championship in 2015 after finishing sixth at the NCAA Raleigh Regional. CU punched its national tournament ticket in 2014 with an eighth-place showing at the NCAA East Regional.
In 1993, Janet Wooten became the first Campbell women’s golfer to qualify for the NCAA East Regional. The Lady Camels earned their first team bid in 1994 after winning five tournament titles, including the Big South Conference Championship.
In 1997, Campbell finished fifth at the Regionals and earned its first-ever national championship bid. CU advanced farther in post-season play than any other team in Campbell’s Division I history and wrapped up the 1997-98 season as the 14th-ranked squad in the nation in the championship tournament.
The women’s team was also invited to play in the 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2005 NCAA Regionals. Sharon O’Neill finished fifth at the 2000 event and qualified for the NCAA Championship. Campbell earned the A-Sun’s automatic berth by winning the league crown in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2007. CU was the Big South’s automatic qualifier in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 before earning an at-large bid in 2025 as a member of the CAA. The NCAA did not hold spring sports championships in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Campbell won the 2009 Atlantic Sun Conference men’s championship to gain the automatic qualifier to the NCAA regionals. CU claimed the Big South automatic berth in 2017, 2019 and 2021. CU men’s golfers have also received nine individual regional invites. Vaita Guillaume won the 2012 NCAA Greensboro Regional to qualify for the NCAA Championship at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Prior to accepting head coaching duties at Campbell in May 1990, Crooks served as a volunteer assistant coach to Wendell Carr for two seasons and helped the Camels to the 1989 Big South men’s championship.
A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., and a Buies Creek resident, Crooks played collegiately at the University of Houston under legendary coach Dave Williams. He is a former United States Golf Association Junior Amateur Champion who has competed in major state and national amateur championships.
He won the 2001 North and South Senior Amateur Championship by five strokes after carding a 73-72-71-216 at Pinehurst #8, #5 and #2 in consecutive rounds.
Crooks was married to the former Susan Davis for 48 years before she passed away in April 2018. The Crooks’ have two children, Beth Milton (Campbell ‘92) and John Thomas Crooks, Jr., and four grandchildren, Jeremy (a 2016 CU graduate and member of the golf team), Lauren, Abby and Gracie.
NCAA Division I Women's Golf All-Time Tournament Coaching Victories
(as of July 1, 2025)
Wins - Head Coach (Years), School
143 - Dan Brooks (1985-present), Duke
100 - John Crooks (1991-present), Campbell
91 - Mark Gale (1978-1996), San Jose State
81 - Dale McNamara (1974-2000), Tulsa
72 - Carrie Forsyth (1999-2023), UCLA
69 - Sam Carmichael (1983-2004), Indiana
66 - Mary Fossum (1973-97), Michigan State
64 - Mic Potter (1983-‘05, ‘05-present), Furman/Alabama
63 - Andrea Gaston (1997-2022), USC/Texas A&M
63 – Linda Vollstedt (1980-2001), Arizona State
NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Longest Tenured active Head Coaches
43 – Mic Potter (1983-present) Furman/Alabama
41 – Dan Brooks (1985-) Duke
34 – John Crooks (1991-) Campbell
33 – Cindy Ho (1992-) Longwood/UNCW
32 – Laurie Gibbs (1993-) Pepperdine
NCAA Division I Men’s Golf All-Time Tournament Coaching Victories
Wins - Head Coach (Years), School
342 – David Williams (1952-87), Houston
179 – Mike Holder (1973-05), Oklahoma State
135 – Karl Tucker (1961-92), BYU
83 – Larry Penley (1983-2021), Clemson
83 – Jesse Haddock (1963-92), Wake Forest
80 – Buddy Alexander (1988-2014), Florida
72 – Bruce Heppler (1995-present), Georgia Tech
65 – Nick Clinard (2001-present), UCF/Auburn
64 – Eddie Merrins (1975-89), UCLA
62 – John Crooks (1990-2025), Campbell
60 – Bruck Brockbank (1999-present), BYU
NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Longest Tenured active Head Coaches \
(through 2025)
49 – Murray Rudisill, Old Dominion (first season 1975-76)
41 – Tony Joy, Youngstown State (1983-84)
40 – Tommy Hunter, Georgetown (1984-85)
38 – Jim Bracken, Cal State Northridge (1986-87)
35 – John Crooks, Campbell (1990-91)
34 – Bob Lynch, St. Joseph’s (PA) (1990-91)
32 – Bruce Brockbank, BYU (1992-93)
31 – Bruce Cunningham, Eastern Michigan (1993-94)
30 – John Bermel, Northern Iowa (1994-95)
29 – Bruce Heppler, Georgia Tech (1995-96)
29 – Mike Moncel, Eastern Illinois (1995-96)
