The Ernest Ledford Grindle Athletics Department at Brenau University has named Mark Elam as the new head coach of the golf team, and has promoted Katie Dant to Head Cross Country Coach.
Elam comes to Brenau from Columbia, South Carolina. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina, and previously coached high school golf at A.C. Flora High School and Dreher High School, both in South Carolina. Recently, he worked as a scout for Scouting Heroes in South Carolina, and was a tournament director for the South Carolina Junior Golf Association. Elam has also held jobs with golfing associations in Michigan and Ohio, and has worked as staff at The Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
“Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program and I plan on bringing in not only quality golfers but quality individuals that will make our university proud,” Elam said. “I will use my connections from my work in the Carolinas to help build a foundation of great players and great personalities. I hope to teach my team how to handle adversity and overcome any obstacles they may face on and off the course.”
Dant has served as Brenau’s assistant track and cross country coach for two years.
“These athletes have become very special to me, and I look forward to continuing to support them and build upon the foundation of our cross country and track programs,” Dant said. “We have a strong group of women on the cross country team – both in character and work ethic – and I’m excited to see what they accomplish.”
Michael Lochstampfor, Brenau’s vice president for athletics and head soccer coach, said Dant is responsible for nearly doubling the cross country roster for the 2024 season.
In addition to her work at Brenau, Dant has served as the Girls Empowering Movement program coordinator through the Boys and Girls Club of Lanier since 2022. The program addresses physical, nutritional, and mental wellness for middle school girls as a branch of the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation.
Dant graduated from Point University, where she ran on the inaugural and conference runner-up women’s team, as well as receiving the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Champion of Character award, NAIA Scholar Athlete award, and was named team captain during her senior season. She served as the head boys and girls cross country coach at Springwood School in Lanett, Alabama, for two seasons, and worked as a fitness instructor.
Lochstmapfor said he looks forward to seeing Coach Elam and Coach Dant take the reins.
“Coach Elam brings a wealth of golf knowledge and experience, will be a tireless recruiter, and has had a great deal of success in prior coaching stints,” Lochstampfor said. “Coach Dant has already demonstrated her ability to effectively coach the cross country program having served as an assistant coach for the past year.”
Brenau’s golf team, track team and cross country teams were established in 2013. Recent awards include the Indoor Track and Field team placing third in the Appalachian Athletics Conference National Championship in 2023, and the Outdoor team earning the title in the AAC Women’s Track and Field Championships in 2021; the golf team was recognized as a 2022-23 NAIA Scholar Team, which requires teams to have a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale as defined by the institution.
