Kelly Crawford

Position: Head Coach Experience: Fifth Year Alma Mater: Sacramento State, 1990

Kelly Crawford is in her fifth season as the University of Iowa head women's golf coach.

Led by a trio of seniors, Crawford's fifth Hawkeye team showed promise with its play in the fall, claiming the title at its own Hawkeye Invitational and earning a third place finish at the Badger Invitational.

While placing third at the Wisconsin event the Hawkeyes set team 18-. 36-and 54-hole records. It marked the first time ever that Iowa's women's golf team posted three consecutive sub-300 rounds (299-297-298). The 894 score ranks fourth best in school history.

In 2009-10, the Hawkeyes earned their best results at the Hawkeye Invitational and the Jack Rabbit Invitational. Junior Laura Cilek led Iowa at the Jack Rabbit event, earning Big Ten Conference Player of the Week honors.

At the conclusion of the year, both Cilek, and senior Alison Cavanaugh earned academic all-Big Ten recognition and Cilek earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

In Crawford's third season at the helm, the Hawkeyes finished fifth in the Big Ten Championships behind three nationally-ranked teams. Iowa's fifth-place finish marked the best Big Ten finish since 1995 when Iowa placed fourth.

In 2008-09, Iowa competed in 10 tournaments, placing in the top ten in seven events. The Hawkeyes also defeated Stetson University in a spring dual meet. The team placed second at the Hawkeye Invitational, where each of the Hawkeye competitors recorded season bests.

In her second season as head coach, the Hawkeyes placed in the top ten in eight competitions, including a first place finish at the Baja Invitational.

In her first season mentoring the Hawkeyes, Crawford's team placed in the top six four times, including winning the Hawkeye Intercollegiate.

Under Crawford's tutelage, the Hawkeyes shattered numerous team and individual records during the 2006-07 campaign. Iowa posted the top-three 18-hole and 36-hole scores and top-two 54-hole scores in school history. Additionally, Iowa's 76.6 fall scoring average and 78.3 spring scoring average rank first and seventh-best, respectively, in school annals.

Individually, Karla Murra tied the school 18-hole record by carding a 69 twice during the fall of 2006. Murra also established the school's top 54-hole score, while Jill Marcum posted the second-best 54-hole in the fall of 2006. Also, Marcum's 76.1 fall scoring average ranks fourth-best in the Hawkeye history books.

Crawford joined the Hawkeyes after serving as the first head women's golf in intercollegiate athletics history at the University of California-Irvine (UCI). She spent six seasons as head coach of the Anteaters, where she spent the first year recruiting before starting competition in the fall of 2001.

During her UCI tenure, Crawford guided teams to three conference championships (2002, 2005 and 2006) and three appearances in West Regional of the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship (2002, 2005 and 2006). Her 2005 UCI team finished 18th in the national championship. UCI teams under her direction won nine regular season tournament championships.

In her final season coaching UCI, the Anteaters won three tournaments, including the Big West Championships. Three student-athletes earned first team laurels, while two garnered second team accolades. Crawford was named Big West Coach of the Year and sophomore Selanee Henderson was honored as Player of the Year.

Crawford, a two-time Big West Conference Coach of the Year honoree (2002 and 2006), had numerous UCI student-athletes named to all-Big West and NCAA post-season teams, conference player of the year and NCAA freshman of the year athletic honors and conference and national academic honors. Crawford coached eight Anteaters to all-league accolades, including two to Big West Player of the Year laurels.

Crawford's coaching resume also includes one year as head coach of the women's golf program at Portland State University in Portland, OR (1999-2000) and two years as assistant women's golf coach at her alma mater, Sacramento State (1997-99).

Crawford's playing experience includes two years at Sacramento State where she participated in the 1984 national championship. She gained professional experience in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (USA), Women's Professional Golf European Tour (Europe) and Ladies Professional Golf Association (Australia). She spent one year on the Futures Tour, where she captured her first professional tournament championship by winning the Salisbury Classic.

She is a member of the Sacramento State athletics Hall of Fame, the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) and the United States Golf Association (USGA).

Crawford earned her bachelor's degree in communication studies from Sacramento State in 1990.