NORTHFIELD, Minnesota. – After 11 years as head of the St. Olaf College women’s golf program, Katie Luckraft has resigned and assistant coach Brian Stevens has been promoted to head coach ahead of the 2024-25 season, the Interim Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator announced Friday. Kelly Mahlum.
“I want to thank Katie for all of her time and energy that she has invested in Ole Athletics as our women’s golf coach,” Mahlum said. “I certainly understand that it was a difficult decision to leave the program and am grateful that Katie is doing everything she can to make the transition to a new coach as smooth as possible. Brian brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this program and I know our student-athletes appreciated his insights last year as an assistant coach. I am very excited to see how his leadership will impact the program in the future.”
After being named head coach prior to the 2013-14 season, Luckraft coached eight Oles who were named All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) selections during her time at St. Olaf. The Oles finished fifth at the 2018-19 MIAC Championships and earned numerous academic accolades under Luckraft’s leadership. Luckraft will continue to work with the program as a volunteer assistant coach.
“St. Olaf is a special place and it’s hard to put into words how much my time at St. Olaf has meant to me,” said Luckraft. “I am so grateful for the support of the entire St. Olaf family who welcomed me with open arms from day one. I want to thank all of my players for their hard work on the golf course and in the classroom, for the memories I will cherish forever, and for making me so proud and happy to be their coach. I look forward to the future of the program and passing the torch to Brian, who I know will do incredible things for St. Olaf women’s golf. Go Oles!”
Stevens joined Luckraft’s staff as an assistant coach last January and helped the team through the spring portion of the 2023-24 schedule. As an assistant coach, he helped with player development, tournament preparation and on-course instruction and was also involved in recruiting. From 2005 to 2019, Stevens was the head coach of the Northfield High School girls golf program, where he grew the program from 15 to over 70 players, winning six conference championships and three sectional titles. He coached 14 individuals who qualified for the state tournament – at least one each year since 2008 – and four all-state players who finished second, third, sixth and seventh, respectively.
“I am honored to take the lead of the St. Olaf women’s golf program,” Stevens said. “After 20 years of coaching and being part of a family fully committed to the game, I look forward to leveraging those experiences and building upon the foundation Coach Luckraft has created for our team. I want to leave my mark on the history of the program with a leadership style that is hardworking, competitive and very fun. I am so grateful to Coach Luckraft and the 2023-24 team for welcoming me last year and allowing me to earn their trust. I believe this program is special and I look forward to helping set the stage to put us at the top of the MIAC.”
“I want to thank Katie for all of her time and energy that she has invested in Ole Athletics as our women’s golf coach,” Mahlum said. “I certainly understand that it was a difficult decision to leave the program and am grateful that Katie is doing everything she can to make the transition to a new coach as smooth as possible. Brian brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this program and I know our student-athletes appreciated his insights last year as an assistant coach. I am very excited to see how his leadership will impact the program in the future.”
After being named head coach prior to the 2013-14 season, Luckraft coached eight Oles who were named All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) selections during her time at St. Olaf. The Oles finished fifth at the 2018-19 MIAC Championships and earned numerous academic accolades under Luckraft’s leadership. Luckraft will continue to work with the program as a volunteer assistant coach.
“St. Olaf is a special place and it’s hard to put into words how much my time at St. Olaf has meant to me,” said Luckraft. “I am so grateful for the support of the entire St. Olaf family who welcomed me with open arms from day one. I want to thank all of my players for their hard work on the golf course and in the classroom, for the memories I will cherish forever, and for making me so proud and happy to be their coach. I look forward to the future of the program and passing the torch to Brian, who I know will do incredible things for St. Olaf women’s golf. Go Oles!”
Stevens joined Luckraft’s staff as an assistant coach last January and helped the team through the spring portion of the 2023-24 schedule. As an assistant coach, he helped with player development, tournament preparation and on-course instruction and was also involved in recruiting. From 2005 to 2019, Stevens was the head coach of the Northfield High School girls golf program, where he grew the program from 15 to over 70 players, winning six conference championships and three sectional titles. He coached 14 individuals who qualified for the state tournament – at least one each year since 2008 – and four all-state players who finished second, third, sixth and seventh, respectively.
“I am honored to take the lead of the St. Olaf women’s golf program,” Stevens said. “After 20 years of coaching and being part of a family fully committed to the game, I look forward to leveraging those experiences and building upon the foundation Coach Luckraft has created for our team. I want to leave my mark on the history of the program with a leadership style that is hardworking, competitive and very fun. I am so grateful to Coach Luckraft and the 2023-24 team for welcoming me last year and allowing me to earn their trust. I believe this program is special and I look forward to helping set the stage to put us at the top of the MIAC.”
St. Olaf will open its fall at the CSB Invitational on Saturday, August 31 and Sunday, September 1 at Blackberry Ridge Golf Course in Sartell.
