OSHAWA, Ont. – The Durham College Department of Athletics & Recreation is pleased to announce Lucas Pichl as the next head coach of the varsity golf program. A former player and coach, Pichl brings a wealth of experience from his time competing and coaching in the OCAA.
 
"It's an incredible honour to be named the head coach of the golf team. This program shaped me as both an athlete and a person, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to give back," said Pichl. "I know the pride that comes with representing Durham College and I'm excited to help our student-athletes experience that."
 
Pichl is a former student-athlete, coming to DC from Cobourg where he competed in many other sports including basketball, hockey, track and field, ultimate frisbee and badminton. His passion has always been golf and it stemmed from his father where he grew up playing and working for 5+ years out of Shelter Valley Pines and Dalewood Golf Club. Lucas competed on the Durham Junior Golf Tour as well as the Northumberland Breakers Volleyball Club teams where he also coached indoor and beach volleyball for two years. This lead him into four years as a dual-sport athlete, competing in men's golf and volleyball, until graduating from Durham College in 2020.

Pichl was well-decorated as both a student and an athlete during his career, earning DC Male Freshman Athlete of the Year in 2016-17 and four leadership awards between golf and volleyball through four years, including the Bonnie Ginter-Brown Leadership award in his senior year. Lucas earned all-academic awards every year and had the top GPA on the golf team for three consecutive years, winning the Bert Dejeet Memorial Award for the highest GPA among all of his athletic peers in 2020.

In 2022, he returned to the program as an assistant coach under Michael Duggan, who announced his retirement from coaching after 23 years in the fall. He has spent the last three varsity seasons coaching as an assistant with both the golf and men's volleyball teams.

Lucas also volunteered as a mentor through Big Brother's Big Sister's of Northumberland, worked security jobs, as an assistant at Cherry Downs Golf Club and ran fundraising events throughout his time living in the Durham Region.
 
"Lucas brings a deep understanding of what it means to be part of the DC family. His passion, leadership, and commitment to our student-athletes make him the perfect fit to lead this next chapter," said Scott Dennis, Director of Athletics & Recreation. "I would also like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Michael Duggan for his years of dedicated service."
 
The varsity golf program boasts a long history of success on the course, including 29 team medals, 25 individual medals, six provincial championships and two national titles. 

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