All good things must come to an end.
After 30 years of coaching, Kathy DeYoung is ready to hang up her whistle and clipboard.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but it’s been a great experience,” DeYoung said. “I’m going to miss coaching.”
UC Davis will certainly miss DeYoung, who has coached three sports at UC Davis: volleyball, softball and women’s golf.
After coaching the volleyball and softball teams, DeYoung transitioned to golf in 2006, where she would create the program from scratch.
In just the program’s third season, the women’s golf team has already arrived on the national scene. The Aggies stunned their competition, earning a birth to their first-ever regional tournament, tabbing a bid to the NCAA Championships in the process.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” DeYoung said. “This team has just been wonderful.”
In its first year of Division I eligibility, the program earned a 21st-place finish at the championships.
Following the end of this season, DeYoung stepped down to make way for the new coach, Anne Walker, formally the associate head coach at California.
“The program is in good shape,” DeYoung said. “I think she will just take it up and up, and it will be fun to watch.”
Prior to starting the women’s golf program, DeYoung coached the volleyball team for 10 years and then the softball team for 26 years. The volleyball program had a 168-97 record under her leadership.
Next, DeYoung led the softball team to an impressive 777-402-2 overall record. The team earned eight conference championships, 13 NCAA postseason berths, four third-place finishes at the NCAA Championships and a historic NCAA Championship title in 2003 during DeYoung’s tenure. Following the championship season, DeYoung was named Division II Coach of the Year.
-Matt Miller
