Kristen Simpson joined Wisconsin women's golf as assistant coach in 2021. A veteran recruiter and skill development specialist, 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.
