HEAD COACH DENISE ST. PIERRE
HC DENISE
ST. PIERRE 35TH YEAR / 28TH AS HC PENN STATE 1983
In 2019-20, Denise St. Pierre is in her 28th season as the Penn State head women’s golf coach and her 35th season overall in 2019-20. St. Pierre draws from her experience as a collegiate golfer, as well as a PGA teaching professional to help her student-athletes reach their full potential.
Basso was selected for the 2018 Madison Regional. Basso finished tied for 42nd in the 96-player field. In 2013, St. Pierre led the Nittany Lions to the NCAA East Regional at Auburn University where the team finished in a tie for 19th place. The following year, after finishing fourth in the Big Ten Championship, St. Pierre led a pair of individuals to the NCAA East Regional as Christina Vosters and Ellen Ceresko were selected for the 2014 field. Vosters finished in a tie for 36th while Ceresko tied for 41st in the field of 126 golfers. One of the Nittany Lions’ best seasons in Penn State history was the 2002-03 campaign when they finished 13th at the NCAA East Regional, narrowly missing a trip to the NCAA Championships. Senior Katie Futcher tied for third and qualified as an individual for the Championships and would finish in a tie for 55th. The year prior, Futcher competed as an individual in the East Regional, finishing in seventh place. In August 2004, St. Pierre helped coach the U.S. team at the World University Games in Thailand where they won the gold medal. Penn State’s own Katie Futcher captured the individual title in that event.
“In order to uphold the Penn State tradition of academic and athletic excellence, we provide each player with a safe environment to play the game at the highest level while balancing her time in the classroom,” says St. Pierre.
St. Pierre was selected by the National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) in June 1999 to coach the U.S. team at the U.S./Japan Collegiate Golf Championships in Chiba, Japan, where the Americans captured their fourth consecutive title.
Every coach has a different strategy on how to run a team. St. Pierre’s strategy is not just centered around golf but around education and dreams.
In its February 2002 issue, Golf for Women magazine named St. Pierre to its “Top 50 Women PGA/LPGA Instructors” list.
“My main job as a coach is to discuss what our team’s dreams and aspirations are while we’re here. My goals are to help them reach theirs. I am a vehicle to allow my players to get where they want to go.” She wants her players to improve themselves in all aspects of life - as a competitor, an athlete and a person - during their time at Penn State. In addition to coaching the Nittany Lions, St. Pierre has extensive experience in international competitions throughout her coaching career. Last season, the Nittany Lions had one of their most successful seasons in recent memory with eight top-10 finishes in 11 events including a trio of tournament victories at the Nittany Lion Invitational, the Princeton Invitational and the Memphis Intercollegiate. St. Pierre coached freshman Sarah Willis to the individual championship during the Nittany Lion Invitational as the rookie shattered the Penn State record for low 54-hole score with an 11-under, 205, final score. The Nittany Lions also set a 54-hole team record with a 4-under, 860, score at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational leading to a second-place finish. PSU set a tournament and program record on the final day with a 10-under, 278. In 2017-18, St. Pierre coached the first Nittany Lion to the NCAA Regionals since the 2013-14 season as junior Cara
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PENN STATE 2019-20 • WOMEN’S GOLF
St. Pierre has served as President of the NGCA. While president, she led the NGCA in volunteer work in New Orleans in relief of Hurricane Katrina. At the annual NGCA convention, which was moved from New Orleans to Tahoe, Nevada, St. Pierre introduced an idea to the membership that called for as many golf programs around the country as possible to conduct fundraisers to raise money for the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity. Through the efforts of the Nittany Lion women’s golf team as well as those by more than 30 other women’s golf programs around the country, the NGCA raised $60,000 to build a home for a displaced family in New Orleans. The efforts of the NGCA culminated when St. Pierre and several of her colleagues traveled to New Orleans and volunteered to help finish building the house that they sponsored through the Habitat for Humanity. In 2006, St. Pierre served, for the second time, as the assistant coach of the United States women’s golf team at the World University Games held in Torino, Italy. St. Pierre also served as the coach in 2004. She led the team to a gold medal for the second straight time. From 2000-04, St. Pierre served as secretary for the NGCA, She later became the president. St. Pierre has been a guest lecturer for the PGA teaching and coaching summit, as well as the National Golf Foundation. A Class A member of the PGA, the Nittany Lion coach has taught in New York and Florida and is currently the director of instruction at the Penn State Golf Courses. During the winter, St. Pierre teaches a golf conditioning class for the local community. She also serves as the director for the
