ANDERSON, S.C. – Anderson University Vice President for Athletics, Dr. Bert Epting, on Monday announced that Denton Moore has been named Director of AU Golf, while former Erskine assistant coach Austin Castles has been named as AU Men's Golf coach.
""We are so excited to name Coach Denton Moore our new Director of Golf at Anderson University," said Epting. "He brings a wealth of experience, he is a tireless recruiter, and he truly loves this university and this community. I look forward to him continuing to build off the great foundation Coach Neal left upon his retirement and continuing to build a program that competes with excellence and keeps Christ at the center of all they do! The future of golf at Anderson University is great - the leadership Denton and Austin will inevitably lead us to new heights as a golf powerhouse in the southeast. Go Trojans!"
Moore, who played for the Trojans from 2003-2008, was named an assistant coach with the AU golf program in May, 2014 and was elevated to Associate Head Golf Coach in July, 2021, then named Head Women's Coach in September, 2022. The Anderson native was named the 2021-22 Division II Golf Pride Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Assistant Coach of the Year in early June, 2022.
As an integral part of the coaching staff, Moore has helped elevate Trojan golf into one of the upper-echelon programs, not only in the southeast, but on a national level, as well. While the women's team has been a force to be reckoned with for the last several years, the Trojan men's team emerged as a national power last season.
"I would like to first thank Director of Athletics, Dr. Bert Epting for making me the Director of Golf here at Anderson University," said Moore. "Dr. Epting and Coach Danny Neal took a chance on me some six years ago to come on as the Assistant Coach for both programs when nobody else would even give me a look. That is something I have never forgotten. I will always appreciate the faith Dr. Epting has had is me, as well as his guidance and leadership of not just our golf program, but the entire athletics department. I also can't thank Coach Danny Neal enough. Danny has been an incredible influence in my life. I was a former player of his from 2004-2006 where we had a lot of success together. He saw enough in me to trust me 15 years later to come on and help him lead these two phenomenal golf programs. Under his guidance and leadership, we have taken these two programs to the highest levels of competition. We have taken these programs to a level of national respect that not many golf programs have. It is very difficult to have both programs ranked nationally in college golf. Coach Neal has done a tremendous job of laying the foundation for this program to be great. I hope that I can continue to build on these programs' legacy and make him proud. Danny has been like a second father to me. He has given me chances and opportunities both as a player and a coach that I will forever be thankful for. I am so proud of what he has accomplished here as the Director of Golf. He should be an easy choice one day for the AU Hall of Fame. Thirty-three wins, six conference championships, multiple NCAA tournament appearances, and a Final Four two years ago with the girls are just some of the amazing accolades Coach Neal has on his resume. He cares about his players and provides them with everything they need to be successful both on and off the golf course. That is the most important thing on his resume, and he has done a phenomenal job at it. I love my Coach, Coach Danny Neal, and I can't thank him enough for everything."
Moore has helped guide the women's squad to 18 tournament titles, including three SAC Championships (2019, 2022 and 2023) and has mentored a trio of All-America honorees (Zoey Iglesias, Kennedy McGaha (twice) and Jessica Rathbone – three times), nearly two dozen All-South Atlantic Conference selections, five SAC Freshmen of the Year, a pair of SAC Scholar-Athletes and two Academic All-Americans.
The women's team is coming off their second straight national championship appearance, while the men's squad earned seven tournament championships a season ago - including an unprecedented five straight at one point – and their first-ever South Atlantic Conference title, while making their first NCAA Southeast Region Tournament appearance since 2008.
Senior Reece Coleman collected All-Conference honors for the fourth straight year and was named SAC Golfer of the Year last season before being named a First-Team All-American, while junior Calahan Keever also earned First-Team All-SAC accolades and First-Team All-America accolades. After being named SAC Freshman of the Year and winning the SAC Championship, Alejandro de Castro went on to claim Honorable Mention All-America honors and was named the 2023 NCAA Division II Phil Michelson Outstanding Freshman.
The Trojans have become accustomed to residing in the national polls, with both teams earning spots in the Golfstat Top-25 during the 2020-21 season for the first time in school history, with the 2022-23 women's team finishing as the consensus No. 5 team in the nation by both Golfstat and the WGCA, while the men's team was No. 1 in the nation from late October through the end of the regular season.
After wrapping up his prep career at T. L. Hanna High School in Anderson, Moore was named the recipient of the Anderson County Men's Golf Association Scholarship and went on to play collegiately for AU. Following a career that saw Moore earn Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference All-Conference honors in 2006, he served as a PGA Head Professional at three golf courses, including the Anderson Country Club, Ladies Island Country Club and Cobb's Glen Country Club.
"I also want to thank President Whitaker and the Administration for trusting me with these two programs," added Moore. "Dr. Whitaker has done a phenomenal job leading this university to new heights. He has given us a tremendous home here at Anderson University. He has given us a place that we don't have to sell to recruits - We just have to get them here to campus. From there, the family, the people and the atmosphere here that he has built does the rest. I have been blown away at the growth of this University from when I graduated in 2005 to now. I want to thank all of the players that have come through this university in my time here. I hope that I have had the same impact on your lives that you have had on mine. You are all the reason I love my job and continue to have tremendous drive to build this program into a national power. I can't tell you all how much I appreciate all the hard work that you put in to get this program where it is. It is because of you, and your belief in this program that we are where we are now. I want to thank my parents, John and Becky Moore for making me the man I am today. I would not be here today without my parents. They have loved and supported my every move to get to this day. They supported my dream of being a coach from day one. They have helped me in so many different ways to get to this day. They set the perfect example of what a true family should look like. They set an amazing example of love, compassion, and hard work so that my sister and I could see what it took to not only be successful, but also know how to great parents. I use so many of their life lessons still today with our golf programs. Last, and most importantly I want to thank my wife, Lauren. She has supported my dream of being a head coach from day one. She is the one that holds down the fort with our daughter when I am constantly on the road competing and recruiting. She loves our kids in the program like she loves our daughter. She has worked so hard for so long to let me chase this dream of being a head coach. It has been a long journey, and I thank the Good Lord every day that he put Lauren in my life to be on that journey with. It takes a special person to be a coach's spouse, and I have been blessed with the best. She is an amazing mother and an amazing wife. I would not be here without her. Thank you Trojan Nation! I hope I can do you all proud. Now it is time to go to work on bringing that national title home. God bless and Go Trojans!"
Castles previously spent five seasons (2015-2018, 2021-2023) as the Assistant Men's and Women's Golf Coach at Erskine.
"It's truly a dream come true to have the opportunity to coach at Anderson University," added Castles. "I strongly believe in a Christian liberal arts education and AU does a phenomenal job of providing that. It's truly a place I can combine my faith and my love for coaching college golf. I can't tell you how excited I am to start working with our awesome student-athletes. I'm very thankful for this opportunity that the Lord has blessed me with and I can't thank Dr. Bert Epting and Director of Golf, Denton Moore enough for believing in me! Go Trojans!"
The Anderson native played golf at T.L Hanna High School in Anderson (2007-2009), before wrapping up his prep career at Wren High School in nearby Piedmont (2009-2011) and went on to play collegiately for Erskine. Castles helped lead the Flying Fleet to three consecutive NCAA South/Southeast Regional appearances (2013, 2014 and 2015), while earning the highest national ranking in school history (5th).
Castles won the 2014 Earl Wooten Individual title and also helped lead Erskine to its lone Conference Carolinas' Championship with a two-shot victory over Limestone in 2014.
Following his collegiate career, Castles spent three seasons as an assistant coach with the Flying Fleet before spending two years in logistics and fundraising, before returning to the links as a caddy at McArthur Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla. Castles reassumed his role as the Assistant Golf Coach at Erskine in 2021, while also spending time in 2022 caddying for local professional golfers Corbin Mills and Carson Young on the Korn Ferry Tour.
During his time in Due West, Castles mentored 2016 Conference Carolinas Women's Player of the Year and NCAA South Region selection Krysta Schaus. During the 2021 campaign, he coached NCAA Division II First Team All-American Alberto Avila Dominguez, who is currently on Clemson's roster. In Castles' first event back at Erskine in 2021, he helped the Flying fleet to a dominating performance at the Kiawah Island Invitational, where they shot a 54-hole total of 33-under par, with the 18-hole, 36-hole, and 54-hole team records falling at the event.
In 2022, Castles coached both the Conference Carolinas' Men's Freshman of the Year (Laurenz Meifels) and the Conference Carolinas' Women's Freshman of the year (Amanda Guzman), and in 2023 he coached Tom Bastow, who was named the Conference Carolinas Men's Player of the Year, Men's Freshman of the Year, and was a 2023 NCAA DII South/Southeast Regional Selection.
During Castles' time at Erskine, he coached a combined 17 all-conference players.
"I am so excited to bring on Austin Castles as the new Head Men's Golf Coach here at Anderson University," added Moore. "I have seen Austin coach for many years now at Erskine. When I sat down to think about who would be good for this job, I didn't have to think about it for very long. Austin is a phenomenal coach. He is invested in all of his players both on and off the golf course. His players always have glowing remarks on how they feel about playing for him, and about him as a person. He brings so much to this program from a coaching standpoint. He has caddied on the Korn Ferry Tour. He will bring in a wealth of knowledge on how to dissect a golf course and put together game plans for each tournament for each of our players. He has had tremendous success with Coach Allen at Erskine both as a player and a coach. His love for this game is truly unmatched. I can't wait to watch these young men and women flourish under his leadership at Anderson. He truly is the perfect fit for Anderson University. He is great Christian man, great husband, soon-to-be great father, and this was probably the easiest decision I have ever made in my time at Anderson University. I can't wait to go to work with Austin!"
Castles is the great grandson of former Anderson University Athletics Director, tennis coach, and professor Max Grubbs.
He earned his bachelors' degree in business administration from Erskine in 2015. He and his wife, Megan reside in Starr, along with their daughter, Cora.
