OGDEN, UTAH (April 23, 2010) - Portland State’s Kathleen Takaishi has been selected as the 2009-10 Big Sky Conference golf Coach of the Year by her league peers.
Takaishi guided Portland State to its fifth Big Sky Conference Championship April 19-21 at the Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler, Ariz.
The Vikings finished with a 54-hole total of 900, beating Sacramento State by four shots and Northern Arizona by six. All five Portland State golfers finished in the top 20, including freshman Britney Yada who tied for third.
Portland State endured setbacks to injuries and academic issues during the 2009-10 season, at one point having just four golfers available for a spring tournament in Las Vegas in early March.
The Vikings rallied late with strong scores at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic at Ocotillo April 5-6. PSU finished fifth with a 54-hole of 902.
Takaishi took over the Viking program in February of 2008, leading her squad to the 2008 Big Sky Championship. This is the first Coach of the Year honor for Takaishi.
Prior to taking over at Portland State, Takaishi was an assistant coach at Oregon State and UC Riverside. She was an All-American golfer, lettering four times between 1995-1996. She is OSU’s record holder in single-season scoring average, career scoring average, top-10 finishes in a season and in a career, total rounds played and low-54-hole total.
After earning her degree in psychology from OSU, she competed professionally on the Futures Tour for three seasons.
Takaishi will coach the Vikings at the NCAA West Regional May 6-9 at Stanford, Calif.