Chris Merce enters his eighth full season as Head Men's and Women's Golf Coach at Arcadia in 2023-24, following his hire in February of 2016.
Merce's Knights finished with a great 2022-23 season. For the 3rd year in a row, the men finished as the MAC Freedom Championship runners-up while the women finished in third, their highest MAC Championship finish in program history. Arturo Hernandez earned First Team All-MAC recognition for the men. The men's team was nationally ranked for the first time in program history as well. Joyce Jung broke the women's 36 hole program record when she shot 166 while the men broke the 36 hole record with a team score of 604. The men's team also had a team score of 289 at Garden State Collegiate which marked a new 18-hole program record.
The men and women continued to perform well in 2021-22 as the men finished as the runner-up at the MAC Freedom Championship for the second year in a row and the women finished fourth at the MAC Championship. For the men, Ryan O'Neill, Fletcher Bolda, and Shawn McKnerney all earned Second Team All-MAC honors. The women earned their first two victories in program history when they finished first in the Arcadia Spring Kick-Off Classic and the Knights Spring Invite. The men took home trophies at the Alvernia Invitational, Arcadia Spring Kick-Off Classic, and the Knights Spring Invite.
The men's and women's golf teams both took a step forward with strong performances in 2021. The men's team finished as the runner-up at the MAC Freedom Championships, while Chris D'Alessandro, Ryan O'Neill and Shawn McKnerney garnered second-team recognition for the Knights. Earlier in the season, the men's team also shot a program-best 301 at the Golden Oaks Shootout - marking the lowest single-round team tally in program-history. On the women's side, the team placed fourth overall out of eight teams at the MAC Championships. The Knights shot 353 strokes in the second round, which marked a new 18-hole team program record. The women's team also set a new 36-hole program-record with a score of 725 for the tournament.
Despite only completing the fall schedule of the 2019-20 season, Merce's Knights turned in several strong performances over the course of the fall slate. The men's team won both of its matches over Delaware Valley and Mount Saint Vincent. The men's team saw freshman Arturo Hernandez earn medalist honors in three events while sophomore Chris D'Alessandro recorded a runner-up finish at 2019 Fall Revolutionary Classic. On the women's side, Joyce Jung led the Knights' contingent throughout the fall with a 19th-place finish at the Revolutionary Classic and an eighth-place showing at the Knights Invitational. Additionally, Olivia Jarvis and Samantha Katsikas were named WGCA All-American Scholars, as the Knights were one of two MAC institutions to have multiple selections.
The 2018-2019 academic year saw two Knights garner major conference awards on the men's side as freshman Chris D'Alessandro earned Rookie of the Year honors and graduate student Kyle Henofer was named the MAC Men's Golf Senior Scholar-Athlete. D'Alessandro, Henofer, and freshman Ryan O'Neill each received All-Conference honors for leading the Knights to a program best third place finish at the 2019 MAC Championship. Henofer was also named a GCAA All-American Scholar for the second-consecutive season. The Knights' final round score of 308 marked the lowest round in program history. The Knights also captured the 2019 Revolutionary Classic in March, the program's first tournament victory in 25 years. At the MAC Championship, the women's team finished in fourth place, tying the best Championship finish in program history while also setting new program records for low 18 and 36 hole team totals. Hannah Kline, Samantha Katsikas, and Kasey Frey were all named WGCA All-American Scholars at season's end.
During the 2017-18 season, Henofer once again claimed First Team All-MAC honors after finishing tied for third at the Conference Championships, just two strokes behind the event winner. His 36-hole total of 159 tied the programs' second-best championship performance ever. The men's team also earned All-Academic Team honors from the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) for the first time ever, while Henofer became the program's first-ever GCAA All-America Scholar and second MAC Academic All-Conference pick.
On the women's side, Merce followed up a 47-stroke improvement in his four-player scoring average with another 47-stroke improvement, totaling a 94-stroke improvement over his first two full seasons. The Knights finished fourth at the 2018 MAC Championships, the program's highest-ever finish, with all five competitors placing in the top 30 for the first time ever. Micaela Uriegas, who finished in 21st place, set the program's championship scoring record in the second round.
In his first full season at Arcadia, Merce guided Kyle Henofer to the program’s first-ever MAC Commonwealth Individual Championship with a two-day score of 151. Henofer was also named the Knights’ first-ever Sorrentino MAC Commonwealth Men’s Golfer of the Year, along with becoming program’s first First-Team all-conference selection since 2008. Merce also led Ryan Kelley to a Second-Team All-MAC Commonwealth selection. Henofer (151) and Kelley (159) posted the lowest 36-hole scores in the history of the program in a conference championship, while the team’s combined score of 684 was also a new 36-hole conference championship program low.
On the women’s side, Merce helped the team drop its four-player scoring average by 47 strokes over his first full season with three players finishing in the top-30 at the 2017 MAC Championship. Overall, Merce oversaw an expansion of Arcadia’s tournament schedule, while also hosting the program’s first-ever invitational in April 2017. Kasey Frey was named the first WGCA All-American Scholar in women's program history.
Merce came to Arcadia from NCAA Division I Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he was in his second stint as assistant men’s golf coach. In his second stint at Saint Peter’s he coached eventual Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Individual Champion Nick Dilio. He also helped recruit three members of the Peacocks 2017 MAAC Championship team.
Merce spent the 2013-15 seasons as the head men’s golf coach at Division I Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. While the head coach for the Gaels, Merce’s team finished second at the 2015 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship while coaching the 2015 MAAC Individual Champion, MAAC Rookie of the Year, and a NCAA Regional participant. Before taking over the reigns at Iona, Merce served as Iona’s assistant coach for one year. His teams also received NCAA Public Recognition Awards for APR during his entire tenure at Iona.
While at Iona, Merce also served as Coordinator of Academics before being promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Academic Services. In these roles, he helped to monitor the academic progress and eligibility of the college’s student-athletes, while also serving as the liaison to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Merce’s collegiate coaching career began at Saint Peter’s, where he was the assistant coach for four years. In 2012, he helped guide the Peacocks to a second-place finish at the MAAC Championship, which at the time was the highest finish for the program in the 31-year history of the conference. Merce coached six players that earned All-MAAC honors, and played a key role in recruiting the roster that won the 2014 and 2015 MAAC Championships after his departure.
Merce also served as the Assistant Academic-Athletic Coordinator for the Peacocks, where he assisted in monitoring the academic progress for the university’s 300 student-athletes. Prior to this, he served as a graduate assistant for Student-Athlete Academic Support, where he coordinated student-athlete’s study hall and assisted in the athletic department's Academic Progress Program. During this time, the department saw a rise in overall student-athlete GPA to over a 3.0 for the first time.
Merce earned his bachelor’s in history (2008) and master’s in educational leadership (2010) from Saint Peter’s, where he was a four-year letterwinner and two-year captain. At the time of his graduation, Merce held school records for lowest single round score, most rounds under par and lowest MAAC Championship individual score.
As an amateur player, Merce captured the Westchester Golf Association Public Links Championship in 2009 and 2011, the Westchester County Publinks Championship in 2010, 2015 and 2017, the 2016 South Jersey Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship and was runner-up at the 2011 Westchester Golf Association Mid-Amateur Championship. In addition, he has qualified and competed in several of the most prestigious events in the New York metropolitan area including the MGA IKE Championship, MGA Public Links Championship, New York City Amateur, and Westchester Open.
A native of Yonkers, New York, Merce currently resides in Deptford, NJ with his wife Kori.
Updated: 06/15/2023
