ANNAPOLIS, Md. —  Navy men's golf head coach Jimmy Stobs announced Wednesday the addition of Jimmy Criscione to the Midshipmen coaching staff. Criscione, a PGA Class A Professional, arrives in Annapolis after spending the last two years as the head coach at Wagner College in Staten Island, N.Y.

"I am excited to welcome Coach Criscione to the Yard as we begin a new era in Navy golf," said Stobs, who enters his second year leading the Navy men's golf program. "Jimmy is very passionate about college golf and will be a valuable asset to the program."

"I am incredibly grateful and honored to work with the midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy," said Criscione. "I would like to thank Mr. Gladchuk, Mr. Dunn, and Coach Stobs for this amazing opportunity to assist in this exceptional program. Coach Stobs has a fantastic vision for the team and I am elated to work with one of the top coaches in the country. The Naval Academy is a special place and I am excited to get started. GO NAVY!"

A native of Paramus, N.J., Criscione took over the reins of the Wagner men's golf program in 2021-22. In addition to the five tournaments in which the Seahawks competed that year, Criscione led Wagner to a pair of match play victories, including a 3.5-1.5 win over Canisius on March 23, 2022, at The Legends at Orange Lake Resort in Kissimmee, Fla. A month later, the Seahawks scored a 5-1 triumph over Saint Peter's at the Montclair Golf Club in West Orange, N.J. The Seahawks closed out the year at the Northeast Conference (NEC) Championship where Tyler Galantini posted a top-five finish with his 54-hole mark of 223.

Wagner opened up the 2022-23 campaign at the Ryan T. Lee Memorial Collegiate where the team shot a program-low 282 in the opening round. The Seahawks went on to close out the fall season with back-to-back runner-up finishes at The Seawane Classic and the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Championship, where Thomas Choi took medalist honors with his final round of 66 to win by one stroke. Under Criscione's leadership, the Seahawks improved their stroke average to 292, breaking the program record for lowest stroke average for a fall or spring season. Wagner went on to compete in six tournaments in the spring, including the NEC Championship where Choi finished in a tie for second place (216, E) to garner All-NEC Tournament accolades. Additionally, Choi represented the Seahawks on the All-NEC Team, earning second-team honors.

Criscione made the transition to coaching after a stellar collegiate career at Monmouth. He was a four-year member of the Hawks' golf team (2018-21) and played 32 total rounds over 19 tournaments during his collegiate career. He tallied two top-15 finishes and three top-25 finishes for the Blue and White. In April of 2020, Criscione was tabbed as Pepsi Zero MAAC Student-Athlete of the Week. A team captain as a senior, Criscione served as President of the Monmouth Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a three-year board member. Additionally, he was named to the MAAC All-Academic Team three times and was a three-year MAAC Academic Honor Roll member.
 
Criscione attended Bergen Catholic High School where he was a member of three state championship teams (2014, 2015, 2016). He was a two-time First-Team All-State selection (2016, 2017) and won the prestigious American High School Championship in St. Andrews, Scotland (2014).
 
Criscione was elected to membership as a PGA Class A Professional from the Professional Golfers' Association of America. He is Level I and Level II Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) certified. Additionally, he successfully completed the SuperCoach54 Training Program under Pia Nilsson and Lynn Marriott.  

A member of the GCAA and AJGA, Criscione previously worked in tournament operations with the New Jersey PGA and was a writer for LRT Sports, a company that helps families and student-athletes understand college athletics. He has contributed to publishing numerous articles, blog posts and interviews for the company's social media and website. In April of 2020, Criscione released his first children's book, Little Timmy, about a young boy who learns valuable lessons through baseball.

Criscione graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from Monmouth in May of 2021, where he majored in business administration/management and decision sciences while minoring in health studies. Additionally, he earned his Master's Degree in Media Management from Wagner in May of 2023.

### Go Navy ###