On Sunday evening, a month after Colorado State University women’s golf head coach Annie Young left after five seasons in Fort Collins to take the coaching job at the University of Tulsa, CSU named Laura Cilek to take the helm of the Rams program.
Cilek comes to CSU after three seasons at the University of Oregon, including the last year as an associate head coach. Assisting then-head coach Ria Scott, Cilek helped guide the Ducks to two appearances in the NCAA Championship Finals (2016 and ’17). Scott has since left Oregon to take the head coaching job at the University of Virginia.
Before going to Oregon, Cilek was also an assistant for two years at Middle Tennessee State after two years on the staff at the University of Iowa, where she played her college golf and was a three-time team captain.
As a player, Cilek won the Iowa Women’s Match Play Championship and the Women’s Iowa City Amateur.
“Laura Cilek is one of the brightest young coaches in the country,” Scott said. “She has prepared herself to be a head coach through her involvement in every part of the program at Oregon. Colorado State knows that it is getting a quality person who cares deeply about her student-athletes and will be committed to their success.”
CSU’s returning roster includes Katrina Prendergast and Ellen Secor, who teamed up to win the U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball national title in May. The Rams placed third in the Mountain West Conference this past season.
(Updated July 20) Meanwhile, at Tulsa, Young named former CSU golfer Parker Edens of Greeley as an assistant coach for the women’s program.
