After half a decade, Mike Moncel has returned to Eastern.

Moncel was named Panthers head men’s and women’s golf coach Tuesday.

“(Eastern and Charleston) is home now, my kids are in school now, my wife owns a business here and I have a driving range so this where I am,” Moncel said.

He replaces Jay Albaugh who resigned to become the director of golf at the College of William & Mary.

“With both teams soon starting their fall season we were very fortunate to hire such a qualified individual,” Eastern Director of Athletics Rich McDuffie said.

Moncel coached the men from 1995-98 and oversaw the start of the women’s program in 1997. He still owns the Mattoon Golf Driving Range and Legends Golf Center in Urbana.

“The program has improved a lot,” Moncel said. “There are a lot more scholarship dollars out there than in the past.”

In Moncel’s five year absence from the program, he taught six state champions, a U.S. Junior runner-up and several accomplished collegiate players including Katherine Hull (NCAA 2003 Women’s Player of the Year), Sylvia Cavellari (U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion and Charleston’s Laura Myerscough (U.S. Women’s Amateur runner-up).

“Mike is a well-known and respected golf instructor,” McDuffie said.

According to McDuffie, the Eastern athletic department had one guy on its search list and got him signed quickly.

“We were in a hurry but we found a great teacher of the game,” McDuffie said.

Eastern’s new golf coach also has worked at the Medinah (IL) Country Club under Dr. Jim Suttie.

“Maybe with my background, we can attract some more talented players toward the area and Eastern,” Moncel said.

McDuffie was impressed by the laid back and approachable nature of his new golf coach.

“He is very easy-going with a strong background for the position so once he called (Assistant Athletic Director) John Smith, we got our guy,” McDuffie said.

Both Eastern squads are coming off an Ohio Valley Conference championship showing. The women are led by two-time All-OVC performer Amanda Minchin. The men finished fourth last spring and return three letter winners.

“I think the men look pretty solid but we are a little short with the women,” Moncel said. “Hopefully my teaching will rub off on them.”

“We want to be competitive in the top third of our conference,” McDuffie said. “Do we expect to win the title every year, no but do we want to finish seventh or worse, no.”