North Carolina A&T's Historic Appointment Of Mesha Levister As Director Of Golf

A coach who is super proud of her time spent in North Carolina will be the new director of men's and women's golf at North Carolina A&T State University. Director of Athletics Earl M. Hilton III named Mesha Levister the new director for both A&T golf programs on Tuesday, making her the third director in the history of both programs.

She is the first women's golf director in the programs' short history, following Richard Watkins and Loritz "Scooter" Clark. She will also become the first female head coach to coach a male varsity sport at A&T.

"I am excited to, first off, be coming back to my great home state," said Levister. "That's always the first thing in mind, to be close to family and close to friends and in a great place – the Triad area. The Triad area is a great place for golf, too, so in all honesty, I'm honored and incredibly excited to join North Carolina A&T.

To be a part of this storied university with the tradition of excellence and commitment to student-athlete success makes this appointment special. I look forward to leading both teams toward new heights with purpose, passion, and integrity. I'm super pumped."

After her freshman season, Levister transferred from Lake City Community College to North Carolina Central University (NCCU). She received her bachelor's degree in behavioral and social science from NCCU before returning to her alma mater to help establish the women's golf program in 2020.

However, she made her significant mark in collegiate coaching during her three-year stint (2022-25) at Prairie View A&M University in Texas. In 2023, Levister earned Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Women's Golf Coach of the Year after leading the Panthers to a second-place finish at the 2023 SWAC Championship Golf Tournament.

In addition, women's players Taylor Harvey and Iman Abraham earned All-SWAC honors in 2023. Levister coached five women and four men to All-SWAC honors during her three seasons at Prairie View A&M, with male player Jaden

Thompson earning all-conference accolades twice. The men's golf team established a 3.1 grade-point average or higher each semester she coached at Prairie View A&M.

"Coach Levister has established herself as a pioneer throughout her life and certainly in the world of golf," said Hilton. "We look forward to having her join our team in Aggie Athletics. She knows golf and the area and is passionate about academic and athletic accomplishments."

Levister has played golf since age 3. She played varsity golf for four years and varsity girls basketball for three years at Bellview High School in Florida, earning all-county honors four times and Star Banner Golfer of the Year accolades twice. At NCCU, she won Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men's Golf Rookie of the Year and NCCU men's golf team MVP after being the only female on the men's team.

After leaving NCCU, Levister won the 2004 Virginia Women's Amateur tournament. She was the first African American to win a women's state tournament in the history of the Virginia State Golf Association (VSGA). She was eventually crowned VSGA Golfer of the Year in 2004.

In 2006, Levister turned professional and became a member of the Professional Golf Association (PGA). She joined the LPGA Futures Tour (now Epson Tour) four years later. She spent three seasons touring the world, competing alongside the best female golfers in the world, securing multiple top 10 finishes.

Levister is among the few Black female golfers to play on that level. After her father's death, Levister left the tour in 2014 but continued to teach and play golf. In 2014, she won the Middle Atlantic PGA Women's Championship and, just seven months later, won the MAPGA Senior-Junior tournament.

"My coaching philosophy is to be a servant," Levister said. "I want to serve the community and serve the student-athlete. I also want to lead with accountability, passion, and integrity. I want to make sure we're doing everything the right way even when it's hard."

She started her collegiate career in 2020 at NCCU, spending two seasons there before becoming the director of golf at Division II Lincoln University in 2022, where she became their first female director.

"I want to thank AD Hilton for believing in me," Levister said. "Thank you to the administration at Prairie View A&M for being great and helping me with my career and putting me in a position to be the new coach at North Carolina A&T. I also want to thank Dr. Kendra Green and Dr. Ingrid Wicker-McCree. Without them, I would not be a collegiate golf coach today. Thank you to my parents, family, and everybody who loves and supports me."

HBCU GOLF