Jess Niemiec begins her second season as head coach of the Women’s Golf program in 2025-26. She became the third head coach in program history on May 20, 2024 after serving as the assistant coach for the 2023-24 season. Niemiec guided the program to another successful season as they finished no lower than fourth place in six fall events. The team won the Lewis Flyer Spring Invite on April 1 and would go on to finish fourth in the GLIAC Championships and make the medal match play round. The team would make a return appearance in the NCAA East Regionals hosted at The Meadows in Allendale, Michigan. DU would tie for 11th place out of 18 schools with a total of 953. The team excelled in the classroom with the fourth-best team GPA in NCAA Division II. Venetia Chap and Hannah Robinson were also named Honorable Mention All-GLIAC. Chap set the low 18-hole record with a 69 on two different occasions. The team also set a low 18-hole record of 296 at Stonehedge North in the DU Invitational.
Jess is no stranger to Davenport Women's Golf, having played for the Panthers from 2017-2021 while earning her BBA in Marketing. She was an important part of one of the program's most successful years in 2018-19, helping guide the team to a runner-up finish in the GLIAC Championship that spring. During her time as a player at DU, she was a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team member and a three-time WGCA All-American Scholar. After a career move away from the Grand Rapids area for two years, she moved back to Michigan and assumed the role of assistant coach for the team in July 2023. Jess is married to her wife, Sara, and together they have two dogs, Tank and Daisy.
2024-25 - Head Coach
- NCAA East Regional Qualifier - Team (Second in program history)
- 4th best team GPA in NCAA Division II
- 3 CSC Academic All-District selections (Lauren Gervais, Melissa Walker, Hannah Robinson)
- Team Scoring Average – 313.80
2023-24 - Assistant Coach
- NCAA National Championship Qualifier - Team (First in program history)
- NCAA East Regional Qualifier - Team (First in program history)
- 6 GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team Members
- Team Scoring Average – 315.27
