HAMILTON – Colgate University Head Golf Coach JP Kircher was inducted into his college hall of fame during Huntingdon's annual ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 26. 

"Being inducted into the Huntingdon College Hall of Fame is a tremendous honor," Kircher said. "I was fortunate to compete against Huntingdon during my first seven years as a head coach, and I deeply respect the storied history of its golf program. The hall of fame includes many exceptional individuals, particularly remarkable golfers."

Kircher grew up in a golfing family in Pittsford, N.Y., a suburb of Rochester. He was a senior captain of the McQuaid Jesuit High School golf team, qualifying twice for the New York State High School Championships while earning First Team All-State honors in 2004. 

His father, John, played college golf at Auburn University, where Kircher began his college journey—something his mother affectionately called a "two-year" vacation. While at Auburn, JP spent more time on the golf course than in the classroom.

It was at the Auburn University Club that PGA Pro Ricky Smallridge introduced JP to Huntingdon College, thanks to his friendship with then-coach Scott Limbaugh. Although JP had never heard of Huntingdon, he was intrigued by the prospect of playing college golf. After visiting the campus one winter day, he fell in love with it and decided to make the move to Montgomery, Ala., giving him the opportunity to restart his college education.

At Huntingdon, Kircher played four years of golf under Coach Matt Mahanic. He was part of a team that qualified for the NCAA Championships all four years, highlighted by a third-place finish in 2010. During his four years, the team reached the No. 1 national ranking and achieved several tournament victories. Individually, JP was a three-time GCAA PING All-South Region Selection (2008, 2009, 2010), awarded to the top 12 players in the region. 

He also earned back-to-back GCAA All-America honors in 2009 and 2010. He made many All-Tournament Teams for top individual finishes, including three consecutive top-10 finishes at the Jekyll Island Collegiate, a fourth-place finish at the 2009 Gordin Collegiate, and a runner-up finish at the 2009 Peter C. Rossin Memorial behind teammate Cody Causey. 

His best individual finish at the NCAA National Championship was 20th in 2010. He graduated from Huntingdon in 2011 with a degree in communications studies. After college, he continued to excel in amateur golf, qualifying for the 2013 US Mid-Amateur Championship at Birmingham Country Club. 

"My four years at Huntingdon were the best of my life," Kircher continued. "I met my closest friends there, and we still keep in touch regularly. I'm grateful to share all of life's accomplishments with this core group of people, whom I would have never met had I not found Huntingdon College."

The Rochester native came to Colgate after seven successful years at the helm of Division III Piedmont. He guided the team to an NCAA Championship runner-up finish in 2023 anchored by the individual national champion Josh Hebrink, who became the program's first individual gold medalist. 

During his time at Piedmont, Kircher led his teams to three NCAA tournament appearances with six tournament championships and 14 individual medalist honors. His teams broke the program's 18-, 36-, and 54-hole records and finished in the top 10 nationally in three of the last four years, including a No. 4 final ranking in 2023. 

Kircher was named the head coach at Colgate in August 2023. In his first year at the helm he guided Colgate to a second-place finish in the Patriot League Championship, tying the program's best all-time finish. The Raiders in a season full of highlights claimed their first tournament win in five years with a 54-hole program record at the Bucknell Invitational. 

Kircher currently resides in Hamilton with his wife, Madeline.