Feb. 14, 2008

DAVIS, Calif. - Kathy DeYoung, who won a national championship as softball coach before helping start the Aggies' successful women's golf team in 2004, has announced she will retire from UC Davis at the end of the academic year.

DeYoung won nearly 800 games in 26 years as UC Davis softball coach, including helping lead the Aggies to the 2003 NCAA Division II Championship. She is in her third year as the golf program's inaugural head coach, having already led it to four regular-season tournament titles, the 2006 Division I Independents Championship and a current No. 68 ranking by Golfweek Magazine.

"I've had a truly incredible experience at UC Davis," said DeYoung who began her Aggie tenure in 1978 as volleyball coach. "The student-athletes, fellow coaches, staff and administration are the best and I feel so fortunate to have been associated with them."

Athletics Director Greg Warzecka thanked DeYoung for her outstanding service.

"Kathy has been an amazing coach, teacher and colleague at UC Davis," he said. "It's hard to believe everything she has accomplished but I can safely say her contributions to our program's excellence are tremendous and recognized by many as truly outstanding."

"Kathy's efforts in building our women's golf program from the ground up have set it up for a very bright future."

DeYoung was the optimum choice when the campus announced in 2004 its intention of starting a women's golf program.

She is a certified U.S. Golf Teaching Federation professional who has also enjoyed a successful playing career in local tournaments. She spent the year before the Aggies made their debut visiting Division I coaches across the country as well as nationally recognized golf teaching professionals, helping to build the foundation for a program already enjoying success on the college landscape.

With an all-freshman squad in 2005-06, UC Davis captured the Div. I Independents Championship by 30 strokes along with two other tournaments. They added another tournament last year and this fall captured the University of San Francisco Invitational.

Individual honors for both DeYoung and her players have also been prevalent. She was named the Independents Coach of the Year last year, and has coached two Independents Players of the Year - including current standout Bryana Gregory - as well as the 2007 Independents Newcomer of the Year, Sydney Roughton.

"The time is right for me personally and for the golf program," said DeYoung. "With five seniors finishing their collegiate careers next year, the coach following me has to be able to recruit the 2009 class this summer to choose the players they'll have for the following four years. I also think the current players will benefit from getting the chance to work with a new coach with fresh energy and different experiences."

DeYoung began with the golf program after amassing eight conference titles in softball, berths in 13 NCAA Championships, including four third-place finishes and the memorable 2003 national championship. Her 2003 staff was named the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Staff of the Year, she was named regional coach of the year three times and was selected conference coach of the year on five occassions.

"The hardest part for me is leaving the players, especially the seniors that started this program as freshmen," she said. "They are all great people and the success we have had is because of them. I will miss the daily interaction coaching them but hope to stay connected. I will definitely still be here supporting them."

DeYoung finished her amazing softball career with an overall record of 777-402-2. Her wins are currently 11th all-time for Division II and tied for 34th among all divisions.

In all, DeYoung has served as a collegiate head coach in five sports. Before her astounding run of NCAA playoff berths as a softball coach at UC Davis, the versatile DeYoung first brought national prominence to UC Davis at the helm of the Aggie women's volleyball program. In her 10-year career with UC Davis volleyball, she led the Aggies to three fifth-place NCAA finishes, a pair of berths in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national semifinals, and an overall record of 168-97.

She previously mentored softball, volleyball and badminton during her coaching tenure at Temple University (1976-1978). During those two years at Temple University, DeYoung coached the volleyball team to a 57-8 record and two postseason appearances and the badminton team to a 16-5 record and a postseason appearance. She also served as an assistant basketball, volleyball, and softball coach at St. Cloud State University (Minn.) while attending graduate school there.

UC Davis began the spring portion of its 2007-08 golf schedule with several individuals competing at the Lady Braveheart Classic at UC Riverside on Monday and Tuesday. The Aggies will make their team debut at the Fresno State Kitahara Invitational in two weeks.

A national search for her replacement will begin immediately, Warzecka said.

UC Davis Aggies Women's Golf

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