Kristen Simpson joins Wisconsin women’s golf coaching staff
July 13, 2021 | Women's Golf
Former North Carolina associate head coach brings impressive experience to Badgers
"We are excited to have the opportunity to have Kristen join us in Madison," said Oehrlein. "She brings great experience as a player and as a coach, and our players will benefit tremendously from working with her.
"Her background aligns perfectly with Wisconsin and all areas of overall development of our players. I'm thrilled to welcome her to the Badger golf family!"
For Simpson, becoming a Badger is a return to Big Ten golf and an outstanding opportunity in Wisconsin.
"I am excited to join the Badger Family! It is an honor to work at Wisconsin with Coach Oehrlein and the women's golf program," said Simpson. "I can't wait to get to Madison to start working with the team. I would like to thank Coach Oehrlein as well as Senior Associate Athletic Director Marija Pientka for this incredible opportunity!"
Simpson's extensive resume in both the Big Ten and ACC stood out from the talented applicant pool.
Simpson most recently served three seasons as the as the associate head coach of the North Carolina women's golf team (2018-21) under Head Coach Jan Mann, who was UNC's head coach for 12 seasons through 2021 and had coached Simpson in golf at Virginia. Simpson played a key role in UNC's recruiting, academic and player development efforts, in addition to team operations and event management. Notably, Simpson helped recruit a talented roster of both domestic and international student-athletes, including Honorable Mention All-American Jennifer Zhou. UNC also earned a 3.75 team GPA in Fall 2020 and five student-athletes earned 2019-20 WCGA All-America Scholar honors off the course.
Prior to helping lead the Tar Heels, Simpson completed a four-year tenure as Maryland's assistant women's golf coach under Head Coach Diana Cantu. She helped coach the Terrapins to a second-place finish in the 2018 Big Ten Championships, their highest since joining the conference. Simpson also served as the assistant coach at Old Dominion for both the men's and women's golf programs from 2011 to 2014.
Simpson was the 2008 Virginia Stroke Play Champion and a two-time Virginia State Amateur runner-up before playing professional golf from 2009 to 2011. Hailing from Norfolk, Virginia, Simpson was a team captain for Virginia's women's golf team during her junior and senior campaigns. She was a three-time National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar and a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection.
She is a 2008 graduate of Virginia with a degree in economics and also earned her Master's degree from UVA in social foundations of education in 2009. She also served as an administrative intern for Jane Miller, the senior associate athletic director for programs at UVA.
Simpson is a Class A member of the LPGA and a Level I Certified Coach with the Titleist Performance Institute. She will begin her coaching duties at Wisconsin this month.
What They're Saying About Kristen Simpson …
Jan Mann, Former Head Coach, University of North Carolina
"It was a privilege to coach Kristen as a student-athlete at the University of Virginia and to coach alongside her at the University of North Carolina. She served as the associate head coach for three years and was the best that I have worked with in my twenty-five years of coaching. I am excited for this new chapter in Kristen's career. She will be working for one of the very best individuals in college golf. Wisconsin is fortunate to have Kristen join their program."
Diana Cantu, Head Coach, University of Tennessee
"Kristen Simpson is a dear friend of mine. I was so lucky to have her join as my first ever assistant coach at Maryland. Being a first time head coach, I wanted an assistant coach with coaching and playing experience. But more than anything, I wanted a coach with great character and strong values. Kristen exemplified all of that every single day. She was and still is key to the success we had at Maryland. I cannot speak highly enough of her as a coach but more than anything as a person. She loves mentoring young women and cares about them as people and not just golfers. She will be a great asset to Coach Oehrlein and I look forward to seeing what they achieve together. "
Kim Lewellen, Head Coach, Wake Forest University
"I was fortunate to Coach Kristen (at Virginia) and coach beside her for many years. She brings a wealth of knowledge, not only in the game of golf but in recruiting, player development and enjoys building relationships with her players and community. I am excited she is joining the Badger family, both for her and Wisconsin!"
