BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh has announced the completion of a reorganization of its men’s and women’s golf programs with the hiring of a new men’s coach and a new women’s coach. Henry D’Alberto ’97 will become the Mountain Hawks new men’s head coach and Roger Simpkins, who assisted with the women’s program last year and with the men’s program in past years, will become the head coach of the women’s program. Both of these appointments are effective August 1. D’Alberto and Simpkins replace longtime coach Kelly Gutshall ’50, who was head coach of the men for the last 16 years and for the women since the program’s inception in 2001. Gutshall will move into a new position as manager of the Lehigh Golf Practice Complex, which is currently under construction on the Goodman Campus.
Lehigh Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett commented on what Gutshall has meant to the Lehigh community. “For the past 17 years, Kelly Gutshall has been synonymous with Lehigh Golf. I am very pleased that he will remain visibly connected with Lehigh and with golf at Lehigh in his new role as manager of our new practice complex. Kelly's passion for the game will surely impact hundreds of Lehigh students, faculty, staff and alumni through the opportunities and programming we expect to offer at our new site."
D’Alberto, who hails from nearby Easton, had one of the more decorated careers for Lehigh in recent memory. A four-time All-League selection and two-time captain, D’Alberto led the Brown and White in stroke average as a freshman, and followed that up with a seventh place finish at the Patriot League Championships as a sophomore. D’Alberto also qualified for the Pennsylvania Amateur Tournament and earned All-District accolades in 1996. As a senior, D’Alberto led Lehigh to its first of two straight Patriot League Championships, shooting a 224 over the three days to claim first place medalist honors. D’Alberto served as an assistant on the Mountain Hawks staff last season and in addition to working as a financial broker, still plays a limited schedule on the New England Tour as well as various State Open Golf Tournaments. His professional accomplishments include reaching the playoff round of the 2004 U.S. Open Qualifying Tournament and the second stage of the 2003 PGA Qualifying Tournament.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back on board and taking the Lehigh program to that next level,” D’Alberto said. “My experiences as a student-athlete at Lehigh and a professional have prepared me for this opportunity and I hope to give the current team members the right guidance and bring Lehigh golf to where we want it to be.” He adds, “It’s kind of neat to come back to Lehigh, I never thought I would be doing this (coaching). It’s going to be a fun experience though and is a great chance to give back to Lehigh.”
A 1976 graduate of the University of Maryland, where he was an All-American on the links, Simpkins takes over as the new head coach of the women’s program. Simpkins, who became a Class A Professional with the PGA of America in 1984, is the golf pro at nearby Saucon Valley Country Club and had been the teaching professional for the Lehigh golf program the last four years. From 1980-1985, he was the assistant golf professional at Woodmont Country Club in Maryland and from 1986-92, he was the head golf professional at Cliffside Country Club in Connecticut. In 1993, Simpkins became the head golf pro at Fair Oaks Golf Club in Virginia and worked there until 1999 when he began at Saucon Valley. Among his many achievements, Simpkins was a 1975 and 1976 First-Team All-ACC member and the 1979 and 1981 Middle Atlantic PGA Player of the Year.
“Having worked with the women last year, I can tell you we have very good team returning,” Simpkins explained. “We have what I like to call them our ‘super sophomores’ and I’m just really looking forward to this opportunity.” He concludes, “I’m very happy to be the head coach of the women’s program at Lehigh and have had a good affiliation with the university for some time now, so I’m excited to get started.”
