Kailin Downs - Women's Golf Coach - Boise State University Athletics

Kailin Downs

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
kailindowns@boisestate.edu
Phone:
541-815-8507

Kailin (Kay-lin) Downs became the 10th head coach in Boise State women's golf history when she arrived in the Treasure Valley in June 2021.

In her first year with the Broncos, Downs led the Blue and Orange to a fourth-place finish at the Mountain West Championship, the program’s highest finish in nine seasons. Franca Polla took fifth, the best individual finish since 2006. The following season, Boise State opened the season with a tournament title, winning the Hobble Creek Fall Classic. At the 2023 MW Championship, the Broncos scored 884 (+20), the program’s best conference championship mark.

The 2023-24 season featured several historic moments, with the team setting the program record for lowest scoring average (293.34). The Broncos won the Pizza Hut-Lady Thunderbird Invitational, with sophomore Leia Chung sharing the individual crown. Boise State set the program records for lowest 36-hole score (575, -1) and 54-hole score (858, -6) at The Clash at Boulder Creek. Chung, Teal Matsueda, Elli Gordon and Franca Polla each finished the season with a scoring average that ranked in the program’s top-10.

2023-24 was also filled with notable academic achievements, including a program-record 3.82 team GPA during the spring semester. Five student-athletes were named All-American Scholars by the WGCA.

Boise State’s 2024-25 squad notched the second-best scoring average in school history (296.74) while breaking multiple program records at The Clash at Boulder Creek. The Broncos recorded the lowest 36-hole score (566, -10) and 54-hole score (846, -18) in program history. Boise State also won the team title at Mountain Classic Match Play. Matsueda became the first player to earn All-Mountain West honors under Downs, averaging 73.33 strokes per round, the second-best mark in school history. Hannah Lim notched the fifth-best single-season (73.78) and career (75.34) scoring averages in program history.

Downs spent eight seasons as the head coach at Portland State. She led the Vikings to seven tournament titles, including the 2014 Big Sky Conference championship and the 2018 Rose City Collegiate.

During Downs' tenure with Portland State, the Vikings won seven individual titles, set 23 scoring records, earned 16 all-conference honors and 21 academic all-conference awards. During the 2017-18 season, the team broke the school's single-season scoring record by posting an average of 296.5, in addition to notching a single-round record of 285.

Downs is also highly regarded for her ability to recruit young talent and provide a positive playing environment where her athletes can develop. Last season, two of the best players in program history returned for their fifth years. Downs added a strong recruiting class of three freshmen and led the Vikings to a third-place finish at the Big Sky Championships.

Before joining the Vikings, Downs spent five years at Oregon State as an assistant coach. In 2011-12, she helped lead the Beavers to one of their best seasons in school history. The team notched four top-five and six top-10 finishes in its 12 tournaments, earning Oregon State its first NCAA Regional Championships appearance in six years.

Downs played golf at New Mexico, where she was a two-time All-American, a two-time Mountain West Player of the Year and a four-time All-Mountain West selection. She played two years on the LPGA's developmental tour and the Cactus Tour.

Downs earned her bachelor's degree in business-general management from New Mexico in 2005. She received the Edith Cumming Munson Award, given annually to the All-American with the highest GPA, and earned NGCA All-American Scholar honors three times.