Updated 8/21/25
Kari Williams is in her 12th season as Head Women's Golf Coach at Rutgers University in 2025-26 after being named to the position on August 7, 2014. The Scarlet Knights have shown consistent development on the links, while also excelling in the classroom and community, under her leadership. Since 2015, players have earned WGCA All-America Scholars honors on 59 occasions and have been recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars 40 times. The program has been honored with the NJAIAW Team Academic Award in 2018, 2019, and 2020, and recognized as one of the nation’s top 25 programs in academic performance by the WGCA in 2017-22 and 2024-25.
Williams has coached the Scarlet Knights to 11 tournament wins, 51 top five team finishes, and 12 individual victories. During this span, Rutgers has set program records on a team and individual level for 18, 36, and 54-hole tournament scores.
Rutgers closed last season with back-to-back postseason appearances, including the program's best-ever finish at the Big Ten Championships courtesy of a 10th-place finish out of 18 schools. The Scarlet Knights recorded five top five finishes, including a team title at the Rutgers Invitational - their second consecutive team championship at the event. Seven student-athletes earned WGCA All-America Scholar Recognition, helping the team collect the nation's eighth-highest team GPA en route to a WGCA All-Scholar Team GPA Award. Four Scarlet Knights - Emily James, Krystal Li, Lorena Rossettin and Lucrezia Rossettin - were recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars.
In 2023-24, Williams led RU to the most successful season in program history. For the first time ever, the Scarlet Knights received a postseason invite, competing in and winning the second annual National Golf Invitational Championship. It was RU's second team title of the season, with the program also winning its home tournament – The Rutgers Invitational – in April. In conference play, the Scarlet Knights secured their best-ever finish at Big Ten Championships, tying for 11th place out of 14 teams. As a team, RU set program records for season scoring average (+8.05), rounds of par or better (5), birdies (436), eagles (8), 54-hole scoring (-13, Westbrook Invitational),
Individually, Rikke Nordvik won the individual title at the Rutgers Invitational and Leigha Devine set program records for single-season scoring average (+1.21), single-season rounds of par or better (18), low round to par (-7, Westbrook Invitational), 54-hole scoring (-11, Westbrook Invitational), single-season birdies (114), single-season eagles (3), single-season par-4 scoring (4.1), single-season par-5 scoring (4.87), career scoring average (+2.89), career birdies (311), career eagles (5), career rounds of par or better (36).
The 2022-23 season saw Williams lead Rutgers to the team title at the Rocket Classic in the fall, with Leigha Devine (Badger Invitational) and Rikke Nordvik (Rocket Classic) each winning individual titles. Devine's score at the Badger Invitational also set an event record.
The season saw numerous program records set both as a team and as individuals including the team's 54-hole total of 3-under 861 setting a program record by four strokes and the first 54-hole score under par. RU also set program marks with 293 birdies a 4.2806 scoring average on par fours. Leigha Devine set single-season records for scoring average (+1.67), birdies (86), par-5 scoring (4.9083). She also set the RU record for career rounds of par or better with 18. Maeve Rossi set a trio of program records with career birdies (265), rounds (135) and counting scores (122).
Ranked 97th nationally by Golfstat, RU finished the shortened 2019-20 season with a 300.85 scoring average, second best in program history. Senior Carrie-Ann Lee led the team, averaging 74.70 and recording the program’s second best scoring average in history. Freshman Anna-Maria Diederichs marked her first year ‘On the Banks’ averaging 75.65, followed by Sophomore Maeve Rossi at 76.26. These scoring averages rank 10th and 11th best in program history, respectively.
The Scarlet Knights’ best performance of the year came at Kentucky’s Bettie Lou Evans Invitational. A final round 281 (-7) vaulted the team into a runner-up finish at the event. The team’s third round 281 (-7) bested the previous program record by three strokes and the team 54 hole total (+10) ranks second in the history books. Lee posted a career-low 67 (-5) in the final round of the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational to tie for 2nd individually. Lee’s round of 67 (-5) ranks second for individual low rounds in Rutgers history. Also in the final round, Junior Eun Won Park posted her best round of the year, 69 (-3).
Another highlight of the fall season was a 3rd place finish at Washington’s Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational. Diederichs tied for 4th individually (75-74) at the challenging Sahalee Country Club in WA. Rossi also placed in the top-10, finishing tied for 9th (75-76).
The Scarlet Knights completed their competitive slate in 2019 and achieved historical success, finishing the year ranked 84th in the country with a 300.07 scoring average, both the best in program history. This year also marked the first time that four Scarlet Knights recorded scoring averages under 76. Sophomore Harriet Allsebrook paced the team with a program-record 74.22 scoring average after posting nine par or better rounds, a new program record. Allsebrook carded three rounds under par (67-70-70) at the Juli Inkster Meadow Club Invitational to capture her first career victory while leading the team to the tournament title over the 26th, 32nd, and 47th ranked programs in the country. The team’s first-place finish came behind a record total 868 (284-295-289), which set the program’s 18, 36, and 54 hole scoring marks. Allsebrook earned the team’s second Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors of the spring after the victory in Northern California, and Graduate Senior Ash Greenham was recognized by the conference after her runner-up finish at the River Landing Classic. Behind Greenham’s efforts, the team tied for second out of 15 teams at the event, the first of two second-place finishes in the spring.
The fall season was highlighted by a 3rd place finish at the Nittany Lion Invitational where freshman Maeve Rossi led the team with a T-2nd performance. In the classroom, the team continued to demonstrate academic excellence and recorded a 3.84 team GPA for the fourth consecutive semester with a GPA above 3.8.
The program continued its ascent with Williams at the helm in 2017-18, ranking 118th in the nation with a 304.88 scoring average to establish a new team record. Senior Emily Mills, three-time captain and the program’s career leader in scoring average, birdies, and par or better rounds, earned the program’s first Big Ten Women’s Golfer of the Week honors after capturing the individual title at the River Landing Classic in March. The team matched the program’s record low round score (287) at the River Landing Classic and the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational, where Ashleigh Greenham set the program record low round of 66 (-6).
The Scarlet Knights also earned Top Team Grade Point Average at the annual R Awards for the third consecutive year, with a 3.812 collective team GPA. Six student-athletes were honored as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars. To receive the award, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.7 or higher for the previous academic year, excluding summer school.
Women's golf captured the Rutgers Leadership Academy (RLA) Team Cup Award for its efforts in the community. The team maintained perfect participation in RLA initiatives and logged 304 hours this past academic year despite a roster much smaller than many of its peers.
Perhaps the biggest accolade of the 2017-18 campaign arrived in July, when the team was recognized as one of the nation's top 25 programs in academic performance by the Women's Golf Coaches Association for a second consecutive year. The Scarlet Knights, with a school record seven student-athletes named 2017-18 WGCA Division I All-America Scholars, placed third among Division I and first among all Power 5 conference women's golf programs.
"Four years ago, we began to focus on creating a program full of incredible student-athletes," said Williams. "We have placed heavy emphasis on excellence in the classroom and the community. Earning a top three finish in the nation and the top spot for a power 5 school, considering the academic rigor of Rutgers University, is a huge accomplishment. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated academic support staff that provides our student-athletes the opportunity to be so successful."
The New Jersey Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (NJAIAW) recognized the team with the National Girls and Women in Sports Day Team Academic Award. The Scarlet Knights were honored for their outstanding academic achievements in women’s collegiate athletics.
The Scarlet Knights have boasted a perfect 1,000 multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score for the past five years. Women's golf was one of eight Rutgers programs to receive public recognition from the NCAA for its most recent rate. It signaled the sixth-straight year, and the seventh time overall, that women's golf was recognized by the NCAA for its academic progress.
The 2016-17 campaign culminated with the team’s initial top 25 academic performance recognition by the WGCA. Five student-athletes were named WGCA Division I All-America Scholars and four earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors. The Scarlet Knights maintained a 3.708 collective grade point average.
On the course, the team faced nationally-ranked programs and top-ranked individuals in every event and concluded its season with a 310.00 scoring average, third-best in the program's 40-year history. In the community, women's golf had a 100 percent team participation rate and compiled 307 community service hours in Rutgers Leadership Academy initiatives.
The 2015-16 season was very productive, both competitively and academically. RU established many program records and completed its spring ranked 129 with a 307.61 scoring average. The Scarlet Knights’ season culminated with team records for single-round (287), 54-hole score (886), and program best 11thplace finish at the Big Ten Championships. Emily Mills supplemented the effort by carding a program record 67 (-5) in the opening round, en route to 54-hole record total of 214 and T-12th finish. During the year, Rutgers earned its initial Big Ten victory over Maryland at the Lady Buckeye Invitational, before defeating Minnesota, Nebraska and Maryland at the Championships.
The records continued in the classroom and in the community. The team was honored at the inaugural R Awards for having the highest team grade point average among all 24 programs. Three student-athletes were recognized as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars and WGCA All-America Scholars. Women’s golf was also one of four Rutgers programs to receive public recognition from the NCAA for their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, placing among the top 10 percent of its respective sport. The team also impressively completed over 350 hours of community service during the year.
Williams’ initial year in Piscataway reflected tangible improvement. Rutgers completed its season with a 174 ranking and a 312.23 scoring average, improving from 204th and 321.36 the prior year. The Scarlet Knights had a season-low performance at the Bucknell Invitational, scoring 905 (300-301-304) to finish runner-up. RU also had second place showings at the St. John’s Intercollegiate and Rutgers Invitational. Individually, Mills won the Bucknell Invitational as a true freshman.
Efforts in the classroom and community were paramount in 2014-15. The team achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.5 in the fall and spring semesters and earned a perfect APR score for a third consecutive year. Junior Racquel Zurick also earned the program’s first Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors, while Mills and Tatum Jackson were recognized as WGCA All-America Scholars. The team also completed more than 300 hours of community service.
Williams arrived "On the Banks" from Columbia University, where she guided the Lions to three tournament titles in 2013-14 after eight seasons as head women's golf coach.
Under Williams' leadership, Columbia took top honors at the Monterey Bay Invitational, Seton Hall Pirate Invitational and its own Roar-EE Invitational this past season. First Team All-Ivy League honoree Michelle Piyapattra won medalist honors at the Bucknell Invitational and the Seton Hall Pirate Invitational, bringing her career win total to six. Piyapattra's prolific career under Williams' guidance culminated with her being honored as the Maniatty Award winner at Columbia's Varsity C Celebration as the best female athlete over her four-year career. In addition to Piyapattra's two individual wins, sophomore Monique Ishikawa won the Monterey Bay Invitational and the Roar-EE Invitational.
On the links, Columbia golfers earned All-Ivy League honors 12 times under Williams, including three in both 2007 and 2008. In the classroom, two Lions were named to the prestigious Academic All-Ivy squad and 13 earned WGCA All-America Scholar accolades.
The Lions were Ivy League title contenders year-in and year-out with Williams at the helm. In 2012-13, the team posted five top-five finishes in just eight tournaments. Freshmen Spencer Krut and Monique Ishikawa shared the Roar-EE Invitational title and junior Jane Dong garnered second team All-Ivy League honors. The 2011-12 season saw Piyapattra named Ivy League Player of the Year after she posted league-best 74.73 round average with seven top-five finishes and two tournament victories. Piyapattra also became the first Columbia women's golfer to compete at the NCAA East Regional since the 2007 team. In 2010-11, Piyapattra dominated the field at the Ivy League Championship and took home medalist honors by 10 strokes en route to three tournament victories as a rookie.
In her first season with the Lions, Williams guided the team to its first-ever Ivy League Championship and a berth in the 2007 NCAA Championships. Sophomore Sara Ovadia, who turned professional in 2009, became the first Columbia golfer in history to earn an Ivy League Individual Championship, as freshman Stevy Loy closed as the runner-up.
Williams arrived at Columbia rich with experience in the golf world and beyond. The Evanston, Wyoming native played for the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she was a two-time team captain, All-Big West selection, and an NCAA Regionals qualifier as a senior. Williams graduated in 1994 from the Shidler School of Business with a degree in accounting.
Post-graduation, Williams embarked on a professional career that included playing on the Futures, Players West and Kosaido Ladies Asian tours and in LPGA Q-School events.
As an amateur, Williams established herself as the top female high school golfer in Wyoming, winning Wyoming individual state titles in 1988 and 1989. She was also the Utah State Jr. Champion in 1988. While in Hawaii, Williams won the island's top amateur event, the Jennie K. Wilson Invitational, twice (1994 and 1999) and the Hawaii State Stroke Play Championship in 1995.
Upon concluding her competitive career in 2002, Williams became a high school teacher at Gilroy High School in California, where she was also named the head coach of three sports, taking over the girls' basketball program and the boys' and girls' golf teams. Williams coached the basketball team to the final four of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs three consecutive years.
A USGA and WGCA member, Williams earned a Master of Science in Sports Management from Columbia in October, 2008. She also earned a Master of Education from Teachers College at Columbia University for Curriculum and Teaching in May of 2013.
