UCLA Women's Golf Head Coach Carrie Forsyth Announces Retirement
The Bruins are going to need to replace another legend on the links.
UCLA women's golf coach Carrie Forsyth announced on Monday that she would be retiring at the end of the 2022-2023 season. Her decision to wrap up her career comes just one year after longtime UCLA men's golf coach Derek Freeman did the same.
Forsyth spent 24 years as the Bruins' head coach, winning two NCAA championships and five Pac-12 titles along the way.
"I have been blessed to call UCLA my home for 29 years," Forsyth said in a statement. "It has been a privilege to live out my dream as the head coach at my alma mater and carry on the legacy of our golf program at this world-class institution for more than two decades. I have had the opportunity to coach some of the most amazing and dedicated student-athletes in the sport, and I will forever cherish our journey together. I want to thank my associate head coach and dear friend for her care and attention toward our team. I cannot overstate my gratitude to the UCLA administrators and the athletic department as a whole for its support of myself and our program over the years. I am thrilled to continue shaping our bright future at UCLA."
Forsyth will be transitioning into a new role within the UCLA Athletic Department – special assistant to athletic director Martin Jarmond.
"Carrie is elite, one of the most accomplished coaches in UCLA history, and I am excited to have her alongside me in this new role," Jarmond said in a statement. "Her knowledge of our Bruin culture and tradition of winning with two NCAA titles will be incredibly valuable as we build for our future."
Two years after graduating from UCLA, Forsyth teed off her coaching career at CSUN. She ran the Matadors for three seasons, even earning Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in 1999.
Forsyth started as UCLA's head coach the following season, and it didn't take her long to cement the Bruins inside of the national picture. Under Forsyth's leadership, UCLA won the national championships in 2004, and they did it again in 2011.
Even though the Bruins have gone 12 years since reaching the ultimate team goal, Forsyth has done plenty to churn out elite golfers in that time.
Alison Lee and Bronte Law won the ANNIKA Award in 2014 and 2016, respectively, while Law and Lilia Vu won the PING WGCA Player of the Year in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Law, Lee, Vu, Patty Tavatanakit, Ryann O'Toole and Mariajo Uribe are among the current LPGA golfers who got their starts in Westwood during Forsyth's tenure.
Forsyth won Golfweek National Coach of the Year in 2011 and the WGCA National Coach of the Year in 2014, and she has won Pac-12 Coach of the Year six times – more than anyone else in the conference's history.
UCLA confirmed that a national search for Forsyth's replacement will begin immediately.
Jarmond didn't have to make any head coaching moves through his first 18 months in Westwood, but he has been filling holes constantly over the past year-plus.
First, women's soccer coach Amanda Cromwell left UCLA to take the top job with the Orlando Pride of the NWSL in December 2021. In the spring of 2022, gymnastics coach Chris Waller resigned and Freeman's retirement became official. Women's volleyball coach Michael Sealy, meanwhile, stepped down in December 2022.
UCLA hired Margueritte Aozasa as its women's soccer coach in December 2021, followed by Janelle McDonald as its gymnastics coach in May 2022. Previn Chandraratna shed his interim tag and became the full-time women's rowing coach in June 2022, and Armen Kirakossian was named men's golf coach two weeks after that. Alfred Reft signed on as women's volleyball coach in December 2022.
Aozasa and McDonald appear to be home run hires based on their first seasons in Westwood – the former won an NCAA championship and the latter lifted her program back to nationals and back into the spotlight. The other additions still have plenty left to prove, but Jarmond has shown that he can attract championship-level coaches to UCLA, and he has another chance to do so with Forsyth stepping away at the end of this year's NCAA tournament.
Follow Connon on Twitter at @SamConnon
Follow All Bruins on Twitter at @FN_AllBruins
Like All Bruins on Facebook at @FN.AllBruins
Subscribe to All Bruins on YouTube
Read more UCLA stories: UCLA Bruins on Sports Illustrated
Read more UCLA Olympic sports stories: UCLA Olympic Sports on Sports Illustrated