came in 2002 when Mike Lochstampfor became head coach of the soccer team. Lochstampfor came to Brenau after serving as the director of the Men's and Women's Soccer programs at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. Beginning with Lochstampfor's tenure, and credited to the support of Brenau President Ed Schrader, the university's athletic program would more than triple over the next 15 years. A boost to campus athletics came in 2004, when Brenau's softball team played its inaugural season. The 2005–2006 academic year saw new basketball and volleyball teams hit the courts. In 2009, Lochstampfor was named Brenau University's Athletic Director, overseeing all athletic teams while remaining head coach of the soccer team. In 2013, Brenau formed a track & field program and a golf program. Finally, the university’ latest team began play in the 2017–2018 school year with a new lacrosse program. This brought the total number of teams at Brenau, including junior varsity teams and a spirit cheerleading squad, to 15. In 2017, the Golden Tigers softball team played its inaugural season at Ernest Ledford Grindle Athletics Park, the first of its kind for the university. The team had a record-setting year as SSAC conference champions, with head coach Devon Thomas named the 2017 SSAC Coach of the Year for leading his squad in his 15th season to an unprecedented 30–0 record, including conference tournament play, and a No. 2 national ranking. The Tigers went 48-5 overall in the regular season. Thomas and assistant coaches Gary Hatfield and Mike Ledford were also selected as the 2017 East Region Softball staff of the year and were among six staff finalists for the national coaching staff of the year. Brenau teams have regularly been named NAIA Scholar Teams, or those teams with a minimum GPA of 3.0. In 2018, five Brenau teams finished nationally ranked: cheer, No. 6; swimming & diving, No. 7; tennis, No. 14; softball, No. 19; and golf, No. 24. Location Brenau's 57-acre main campus is located in Gainesville, Georgia, approximately 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Brenau University maintains day, evening, weekend and online programs at the main campus in Gainesville, and in Norcross, Georgia. Galleries and collections Brenau University Galleries, located on the campus of Brenau University in Gainesville, feature one of the finest university art collections held by an educational institution in the state of Georgia. Until 1985, when