GAMBIER, Ohio -- Evan Williams, hired a few months ago as the first-ever women's golf coach at Kenyon College, understands how much the ability to navigate a golf course can impact a scorecard. Now, as he begins assembling the initial elements of the College's upstart program, he finds himself using his navigation experience in an entirely different manner.

From his office space in the corner of Lowry Center, Williams' mind floods with thoughts of recruiting, scheduling, facilities, equipment, paperwork, meetings and countless other details that he'll have to arrange in order for his Owls to have an unimpaired takeoff.

"Getting into the office every morning and figuring out whether to prioritize emails, or phone calls, or campus visits, I'm sure all coaches deal with that, and it's important," Williams said. "But when founding a program, I've come to understand that having a strategic plan and setting goals are pivotal."

With that in mind, he set out on a multi-path mission in search of cornerstones and building blocks. 

His approach, similar to the way he can reverse engineer a 550-yard, par-5, directly reflects just what kind of thinking Kenyon promotes. Getting to the green safely is the goal, but how best can he set himself up for a birdie putt? Likewise, landing a recruit is the goal, but how best can he connect with one who will thrive on the Hill?

"I think priority number one was finding that balance between academics and athletics and truly learning the unique place that is Kenyon," Williams said. "The last couple of months, I've been fully diving into this community and understanding how we operate, not only as an athletics department, but as a campus."

In taking the time to understand the day-to-day in Gambier, Williams has developed a clear picture of the environment he is recruiting into and the type of student-athlete who can flourish here.

"We're looking for women who love golf, but who also love to be challenged," he said. "It's obvious the students here embrace intellectual challenges. So, in recruiting, I want to find out where each individual is at, and then ask them to bring that same mentality from the classroom to the course.

"You know, these recruits that join us are going to be in a unique situation and their mentality will be even more important than their athleticism. They will set the baseline for this program and, from there, they are going to be asked to continue to grow not only as an individual, but as part of a team."

Williams has gone out of his way to approach other women's sports coaches within the athletics department. He's asked questions, observed recruiting phone calls, talked to parents on visits, and just absorbed as much as he can. He's also created a special relationship with Kenyon's highly-successful men's golf team, learning from both Head Coach Grant Wallace, as well as his student-athletes.

"It's been a great opportunity to be around the men's team, just seeing how our student-athletes operate at a different level. They're taught in classrooms to ask why and to push further. That holds true for them on the course, too."

In hanging with the men's team, Williams discovered another important component to Kenyon student-athletes—that they are not just student-athletes. They, in a variety of ways, make an impact across other areas of campus. He discovered one member of the men's team was in The Chasers, an a cappella group, a couple guys belonged to fraternities, and one works with the Business and Finance Committee. 

"You know, I like to tell some of the recruits I meet that Kenyon, as a whole, from the outside looking in, you'll never be able to understand it and from the inside looking out, you'll never be able to explain it. There are so many people, from all over the world, who bring so much to this little village in the middle of Ohio."

Williams is clearly excited to be a part of that environment and ecstatic to cultivate a program that will reinforce it.

His self-assigned journey has led him to avenues off campus, too, as he touched base with other NCAA women's golf coaches to glean additional knowledge and to calculate just where this soon-to-be Owls program might fit in during its inaugural season of play in 2025-26.

"They've been a tremendous resource, as well," Williams explained. "You know, learning from them and melding those lessons with the lessons I learned from previous coaching jobs at Kent State and Western Reserve has been extremely helpful in the evolution of my coaching style and how I envision our success."

While he lays the groundwork, he also toils with being a coach who is not coaching. He is itching to analyze and improve the mechanics of a swing, but he knows that the data and the numbers will materialize down the road. What's most important, at this stage, is his dedication to the people process. From the top down, from the tee box to the flagstick, from the course to the classroom, and from the campus to the community, Williams is compelled to construct with the right crowd.

"I think part of the excitement here, at least for me, is knowing that I have full buy-in from the administration and from the community and, you know, feeling like the past six or seven years of work that I put in to get to this spot is seen and validated with that trust.

"At the same time, it's been really humbling to have full control of the program," Williams added. "While brainstorming about culture and building this program's foundation, it's important to understand not only what that looks like to me, but how I can portray those messages to my recruits and set expectations early."