Staff Directory
Laurie Gibbs
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- Phone:
- (310) 506-4482
Recognized by her peers as one of the top collegiate women’s golf coaches in the country, Laurie Gibbs enters her 34th season as head coach of the Pepperdine women’s golf team in 2026-27. She was inducted into the Women’s Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame in December 2015.
During her tenure, Gibbs has taken a program that started out with limited resources and funding and turned it into one of national prominence. Through her tireless work ethic and diligent recruiting, Gibbs has had Pepperdine in contention for a national championship multiple times.
The Waves have appeared in the NCAA Championships 15 times, with six top-five finishes and ten top-10 showings, including a program-best second-place result in 2003.
Gibbs has led Pepperdine to West Coast Conference championships in 23 of the 29 tournaments that began in 1997, including a streak of 14 titles that ran from 2002-15. Over the course of her career, the Waves have won 62 team tournament titles and have had 60 individual medalist honors.
Gibbs was selected the National Coach of the Year by Golfweek in the 2004-05 and 2022-23 campaigns, was tabbed the West Region Coach of the Year on three occasions (1999, 2003, and 2023) and has been honored 17 times as the WCC’s Coach of the Year (1998, ‘99, ‘00, ‘02, ‘03, ‘05, ‘06, ’07, ’08, ’10, ’12, ’15, ’19, ’22, ‘23, '24 and '26). She was honored twice as Pepperdine’s Coach of the Year (1998-99 and 2002-03).
In addition to securing the use of seven country clubs with quality facilities for practice purposes across her first three decades in charge, Gibbs worked with the men’s coach and donors to expanded the on-campus practice area in Alumni Park, build a natural grass putting green in the center of campus and assisted in the design of the 8,000 sq ft Pepperdine Golf Clubhouse, one of the top collegiate golf facilities in the country, which opened in September 2026.
After serving twice on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee, Gibbs was selected to serve a four-year term (2003-07) as one of three coaches on the Division I NCAA Women’s Golf Committee. She also served on the USGA/NCAA Intercollegiate Committee.
Her players have earned All-American honors a total of 36 times, and the Waves had at least one All-American every season between 2000 and 2016. Katherine Hull earned 2003 NCAA Division I Player of the Year honors by the National Golf Coaches Association as well as the Dinah Shore Award and finished as a three-time All-American. Lindsey Wright and Grace Na were both four-time All-Americans.
Ten of Gibbs’ Waves have gone on to earn LPGA Tour cards: Hull, Na, Wright, Misun Cho, Tamie Durdin, Danielle Kang, Taylore Karle, Carolina Llano, Kalieya Romero and Nadina Taylor. Hull won multiple titles, while Kang became the first Wave to win a major (the 2017 LPGA Championship), competed in the Olympics (2021) and has won six times.
The Waves finished in fifth place at their first-ever NCAA Championships in 1999, and that began a remarkable run. The Waves posted seven more top-10 finishes over the next 10 years, including second place (2003), third place (2006) and fourth place (2005). They have been ranked #1 twice during the season and had their best-ever end-of-season Golfstat rankings in 2003 (#2), 2005 (#4), 2006 (#5) and 2007 (#5).
Gibbs’ efforts nearly paid off with a national title in 2003 as she guided the Waves to their most successful season in school history. Pepperdine claimed a then program-record five straight tournament titles at one point and finished second at the NCAA Championships in West Lafayette, Ind. The Waves also achieved a program first that season as they gained a #1 national ranking during the spring in both ranking systems.
Pepperdine has finished with a top-25 ranking in 19 of the last 27 years. Pepperdine’s most recent NCAA Championships appearance was in 2026 as the Waves finished fifth. After earning runner-up at the NCAA Stanford Regional, Pepperdine reached match play at the NCAA Championship, finishing eighth in stroke play and then ending their run in the NCAA quarterfinal finishing tied for 5th. During the 2022-23 campaign, the Waves broke the program record for most team wins in a single-season with six.
The Waves quickly became a prominent fixture on the west coast scene following Gibbs’ hiring as the first full-time head women’s golf coach ahead of the 1993-94 campaign. Pepperdine claimed three team titles across her first two seasons. Beginning with the Santa Clara Colby Invitational in her first campaign. Candida Kim became the first Wave to claim multiple individual titles in program history, with three wins across two seasons from 1994-96.
During the 1994-95 season, Gibbs’ second as head coach, she watched Candida Kim represent the Waves at the NCAA West Regional Championships — a first-time accomplishment for the program.
With the West Coast Conference adopting women’s golf ahead of the 1996-97 season, Gibbs and the Waves would go on to dominate the conference with top-two finishes in 19 consecutive seasons to begin its run in the conference, including 14 straight championships from 2002-15.
The 1997-98 season proved to be a breakthrough year for Gibbs and the Pepperdine program as the Waves captured their first-ever WCC title. Pepperdine competed in 10 tournaments during and registered eight top 10 finishes. Gibbs also claimed her first WCC Coach of the Year recognition following the season. Jenny Glasgow won the WCC individual title and became the second player in Pepperdine history to advance to the NCAA Regionals where she tied for 19th place.
The 1998-1999 saw the Waves capture four tournament titles and finished no worse than sixth place in any of their 12 events. Pepperdine won back-to-back WCC titles and Gibbs was honored as WCC Coach of the Year. The Waves made its first-ever team appearance at the NCAA Championships in 1999 and posted a solid fifth-place showing in Tulsa, Okla. The Waves finished the 1999 season ranked #7 in the final MasterCard rankings. Gibbs received WGCA West Region Coach of the Year.
The 1999-2000 season was highlighted by three team tournament titles, four individual tournament victories and an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in Sunriver, Ore. Durdin and Wright each captured individual medalist honors twice and became the first All-Americans in the program’s history, beginning a run of four straight seasons with multiple All-Americans on the squad. The Waves finished the season ranked #5 in the country, Wright also began a run of 13 straight WCC Freshmen of the Year honors received by a Wave, with Gibbs taking home a third straight WCC Coach of the Year honor.
In 2000-01, The Waves reached the NCAA Championships for the third straight year, finishing 14th while winning the UCLA Pioneer Electronics Bruin Classic. Hull won the UCLA event and earned WGCA All-America second-team honors, while Lindsey Wright also earned second-team All-America recognition.
Pepperdine won four tournaments in the 2001-02 season featuring the Southern California Intercollegiate, UCLA Pioneer Electronics Bruin Classic, WCC Championship and a share of the NCAA West Regional title (the program’s first NCAA regional victory) before tying for ninth at the NCAA Championships. Hull won a pair of individual titles and Wright won the WCC Medalist honors. Hull went on to earn WGCA first-team All-American and Wright earned second-team honors, while Gibbs was WCC Coach of the Year for the fourth time.
The 2002-03 campaign was the most successful in program history, as the Waves finished runner-up at the NCAA Championship. Pepperdine was dominant through the regular season, winning five straight tournaments including a fifth WCC title in six years. The Waves finished second in the final Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, and also achieved a program first that season as they gained a #1 national ranking during the spring in both rankings. Hull’s senior campaign established herself as one of college golf’s best of the decade with four individual titles, culminating with her being named the NCAA Division I Player of the Year by the National Golf Coaches Association. Hull won individual medalist honors four times during the season. Other honors Hull received that year included the WCC’s co-Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Dinah Shore Award, sponsored by the Ladies Professional Golf Association Foundation. Hull earned her third All-American honor, while Lindsey Wright made it for the fourth time. Carolina Llano claimed the first of three straight WCC Medalist titles. Gibbs was named WGCA West Region Coach of the Year for the second time while tabbing WCC Coach of the Year laurels once again.
In 2003-04, Pepperdine won its third consecutive WCC title. Individually, Carolina Llano won the NCAA Fall Preview and WCC individual title, eventually earning WGCA All-American honors. Eileen Vargas was also named WCC Freshman of the Year, with four total Waves receiving all-conference recognition.
Pepperdine logged another top-four finish at the NCAA Championships in 2004-05, also finishing the season ranked No. 4 in the country. Gibbs was named Golfweek National Coach of the Year following the campaign after guiding the Waves to another WCC crown and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Llano and Vargas also tabbed All-American honors with Marina Choi winning WCC Freshman of the Year.
The Waves remained a top-five team in the country in 2005-06, finishing third at the NCAA Championships while claiming a fifth straight conference title. The Waves won four tournaments along the way, featuring the he Dick McGuire Invitational, Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, Santa Clara Colby Invitational and WCC Championship. Gibbs collected another WCC Coach of the Year award as the Waves finished the season ranked No. 5 in the country. Jayvia Agojo took home WCC Medalist and Freshman of the Year honors while Vargas and Llano were once again named All-Americans.
In 2006-07, the Waves finished seventh at the NCAA Championships while also winning the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge and sixth straight WCC Championship. Gibbs received a third straight WCC Coach of the Year award, while Misun Cho was WCC Freshman of the Year, the WCC Medalist and an All-American. Agojo and Vargas also received All-American honors as the Waves finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Gibbs and the Waves continued their dominant run in 2007-08, as she received her ninth WCC Coach of the Year title in 11 seasons, as the Waves posted another conference title, their seventh straight. Karle joined Cho as another Wave to take home WCC Freshman of the Year, WCC Medalist and All-American recognition in the same season.
The Waves finished ninth at the NCAA Championships in 2008-09, while winning the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown with a NCAA-record-setting performance shooting a 41-under 823, Wave Invitational and WCC Championship. Pepperdine went on to finish in the top-10 at the NCAA Championship for the eighth time in 11 seasons. Individually, Lisa McCloskey won the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown with a record score, Karle won the Wave Invitational and Agojo was the WCC Medalist. McCloskey was also WCC Freshman of the Year and a WGCA All-American.
In 2009-10, the Waves were once again a top-15 team in the country, finishing 14th at the NCAA Championships while claiming three team tournament wins. The Waves won the Golfweek Conference Challenge, Dick McGuire Invitational and WCC Championship. McCloskey won the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge and WCC individual crown, while Danielle Kang won the Bruin Wave Invitational. McCloskey was then named the conference’s first WCC Player of the Year while Kang tabbed WCC Freshman of the Year, with both earning All-American recognition. Gibbs was also named WCC Coach of the Year for the tenth time in her career.
Pepperdine continued its run in 2010-11, winning a 10th straight conference title along with the UNLV Spring Invitational. Grace Na was named WCC Freshman and Player of the Year while claiming WCC Medalist honors, in addition to All-American laurels. It began a run of four straight WCC Player of the Year wins for Na, who was also eventually a four-time All-American.
The Waves returned to the NCAA Championships in the spring of the 2011-12 season after finishing third at the NCAA Regionals. Gibbs took home another WCC Coach of the Year honor with Alina Ching claiming conference Freshman of the Year. As a team, the Waves also won the Bruin Wave Invitational and WCC Championship, while Na won the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown individually.
Pepperdine’s 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons both ended just a few strokes short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships, but Na earned All-American first team honors from both Golfweek and the WGCA in both years. She became the second four-time All-American in Pepperdine history, and the second two-time All-American first teamer.
The 2014-15 campaign Marissa Chow taking home two individual wins and also saw Gibbs receive WCC Coach of the Year. Tatiana Wijaya was WCC Freshman of the Year. Chow was the 2015 WCC Medalist, WCC Player of the Year and an All-American during her debut season. Chow continued her run with a second-straight All-American season in 2015-16.
The Waves finished third at the NCAA Regionals in 2016-17, advancing to the program’s 12th NCAA Championship. As a team, Pepperdine won the Ron Moore Intercollegiate while Momoka Kobori took home WCC Freshman of the Year. Pepperdine would go on to advance to a 20th-straight NCAA Regional the following year, in 2017-18.
In 2018-19, Pepperdine claimed its 18th West Coast Conference title while Gibbs collected her 13th WCC Coach of the Year honor. Hira Naveed had a breakout season with three individual wins, including the WCC Championship on her way to earning WCC Player of the Year.
The COVID-shortened 2019-20 season was highlighted by Momoka Kobori winning the Dirk McGuire Invitational before the spring championships were ultimately cancelled. Kobori was also named an All-American.
Returning in 2020-21, Pepperdine won the Moorpark Intercollegiate as a team while continuing its run of NCAA Regional appearances. Caroline Hwang was WCC Freshman of the Year while winning the WCC individual title.
The Waves won the WCC Championship in 2021-22 as Gibbs received WCC Coach of the Year. Lauren Gomez swept the WCC major awards with Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year and Medalist honors at the Championships.
Gibbs and the Waves set program records in 2022-23 with six team tournament victories, featuring the Golfweek Red Sky Classic, Golf Iconic Classic, Anuenue Spring Break Classic, Silicon Valley Showcase, WCC Championships and a share of the NCAA San Antonio Regional crown. Pepperdine went to post its fifth top-five finish at the NCAA Championships, advancing to match play for the first time in the new championship format. Lion Higo won a pair of individual championships and was named WCC Player of the Year while Kaleiya Romero was the WCC Medalist. Higo and Jeneath Wong also earned All-American honors following the campaign, and Gibbs claimed another WCC Coach of the Year award,
The Waves secured another WCC title in 2023-24 with Gibbs winning the conference’s Coach of the Year award. The Waves advanced to the NCAA Championship with a fifth-place finish at the regional round. Gomez claimed Medalist honors at the WCC Championship while Wong won the Silicon Valley Showcase individually. Wong also earned a second-straight All-American nod.
Pepperdine won the Silicon Valley Showcase in 2024-25 as Eunseo Choi took home the win individually, while Gomez secured another individual title for the Waves at the Dick McGuire Invitational. Choi went on to win WCC Freshman of the Year, joining Wong and Gomez as All-WCC honorees.
In 2025-26, Pepperdine advanced to match play once again at the NCAA Championships, finishing tied for fifth in the country. The trio of Wong, Eunseo Choi and Kylee Choi each received All-American recognition, as Eunseo Choi won a pair of individual titles at the Fresno State Classic and WCC Championship. As a team, Pepperdine won the Fresno State Classic and Yale Invitational West in addition to the program’s 22nd conference championship under Gibbs. Eunseo Choi was the WCC Medalist and Player of the Year with Kylee winning WCC Freshman of the Year. The Waves also finished second at the NCAA Stanford Regional, the program’s third top-two finish at a regional. Gibbs also received her 17th WCC Coach of the Year honor.
Prior to being hired as the head women’s golf coach at Pepperdine, Gibbs was a PGA teaching professional at the nearby Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles and competed on the Women’s Western Professional Golf Tour. In addition to playing and teaching, Gibbs authored and marketed ProTips, a quick reference guide for golfers.
Gibbs played college golf at Long Beach State on an athletic scholarship and graduated from Santa Monica College.
Gibbs and her husband, Chris, have a daughter, Catherine (who graduated from Pepperdine in 2020 and earned her Master’s in Human Resources in 2021) was a member of the women’s swimming team. Their son, Christopher (who graduated from Pepperdine in 2026) was part of the Athletics event staff.
During her tenure, Gibbs has taken a program that started out with limited resources and funding and turned it into one of national prominence. Through her tireless work ethic and diligent recruiting, Gibbs has had Pepperdine in contention for a national championship multiple times.
The Waves have appeared in the NCAA Championships 15 times, with six top-five finishes and ten top-10 showings, including a program-best second-place result in 2003.
Gibbs has led Pepperdine to West Coast Conference championships in 23 of the 29 tournaments that began in 1997, including a streak of 14 titles that ran from 2002-15. Over the course of her career, the Waves have won 62 team tournament titles and have had 60 individual medalist honors.
Gibbs was selected the National Coach of the Year by Golfweek in the 2004-05 and 2022-23 campaigns, was tabbed the West Region Coach of the Year on three occasions (1999, 2003, and 2023) and has been honored 17 times as the WCC’s Coach of the Year (1998, ‘99, ‘00, ‘02, ‘03, ‘05, ‘06, ’07, ’08, ’10, ’12, ’15, ’19, ’22, ‘23, '24 and '26). She was honored twice as Pepperdine’s Coach of the Year (1998-99 and 2002-03).
In addition to securing the use of seven country clubs with quality facilities for practice purposes across her first three decades in charge, Gibbs worked with the men’s coach and donors to expanded the on-campus practice area in Alumni Park, build a natural grass putting green in the center of campus and assisted in the design of the 8,000 sq ft Pepperdine Golf Clubhouse, one of the top collegiate golf facilities in the country, which opened in September 2026.
After serving twice on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee, Gibbs was selected to serve a four-year term (2003-07) as one of three coaches on the Division I NCAA Women’s Golf Committee. She also served on the USGA/NCAA Intercollegiate Committee.
Her players have earned All-American honors a total of 36 times, and the Waves had at least one All-American every season between 2000 and 2016. Katherine Hull earned 2003 NCAA Division I Player of the Year honors by the National Golf Coaches Association as well as the Dinah Shore Award and finished as a three-time All-American. Lindsey Wright and Grace Na were both four-time All-Americans.
Ten of Gibbs’ Waves have gone on to earn LPGA Tour cards: Hull, Na, Wright, Misun Cho, Tamie Durdin, Danielle Kang, Taylore Karle, Carolina Llano, Kalieya Romero and Nadina Taylor. Hull won multiple titles, while Kang became the first Wave to win a major (the 2017 LPGA Championship), competed in the Olympics (2021) and has won six times.
The Waves finished in fifth place at their first-ever NCAA Championships in 1999, and that began a remarkable run. The Waves posted seven more top-10 finishes over the next 10 years, including second place (2003), third place (2006) and fourth place (2005). They have been ranked #1 twice during the season and had their best-ever end-of-season Golfstat rankings in 2003 (#2), 2005 (#4), 2006 (#5) and 2007 (#5).
Gibbs’ efforts nearly paid off with a national title in 2003 as she guided the Waves to their most successful season in school history. Pepperdine claimed a then program-record five straight tournament titles at one point and finished second at the NCAA Championships in West Lafayette, Ind. The Waves also achieved a program first that season as they gained a #1 national ranking during the spring in both ranking systems.
Pepperdine has finished with a top-25 ranking in 19 of the last 27 years. Pepperdine’s most recent NCAA Championships appearance was in 2026 as the Waves finished fifth. After earning runner-up at the NCAA Stanford Regional, Pepperdine reached match play at the NCAA Championship, finishing eighth in stroke play and then ending their run in the NCAA quarterfinal finishing tied for 5th. During the 2022-23 campaign, the Waves broke the program record for most team wins in a single-season with six.
The Waves quickly became a prominent fixture on the west coast scene following Gibbs’ hiring as the first full-time head women’s golf coach ahead of the 1993-94 campaign. Pepperdine claimed three team titles across her first two seasons. Beginning with the Santa Clara Colby Invitational in her first campaign. Candida Kim became the first Wave to claim multiple individual titles in program history, with three wins across two seasons from 1994-96.
During the 1994-95 season, Gibbs’ second as head coach, she watched Candida Kim represent the Waves at the NCAA West Regional Championships — a first-time accomplishment for the program.
With the West Coast Conference adopting women’s golf ahead of the 1996-97 season, Gibbs and the Waves would go on to dominate the conference with top-two finishes in 19 consecutive seasons to begin its run in the conference, including 14 straight championships from 2002-15.
The 1997-98 season proved to be a breakthrough year for Gibbs and the Pepperdine program as the Waves captured their first-ever WCC title. Pepperdine competed in 10 tournaments during and registered eight top 10 finishes. Gibbs also claimed her first WCC Coach of the Year recognition following the season. Jenny Glasgow won the WCC individual title and became the second player in Pepperdine history to advance to the NCAA Regionals where she tied for 19th place.
The 1998-1999 saw the Waves capture four tournament titles and finished no worse than sixth place in any of their 12 events. Pepperdine won back-to-back WCC titles and Gibbs was honored as WCC Coach of the Year. The Waves made its first-ever team appearance at the NCAA Championships in 1999 and posted a solid fifth-place showing in Tulsa, Okla. The Waves finished the 1999 season ranked #7 in the final MasterCard rankings. Gibbs received WGCA West Region Coach of the Year.
The 1999-2000 season was highlighted by three team tournament titles, four individual tournament victories and an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in Sunriver, Ore. Durdin and Wright each captured individual medalist honors twice and became the first All-Americans in the program’s history, beginning a run of four straight seasons with multiple All-Americans on the squad. The Waves finished the season ranked #5 in the country, Wright also began a run of 13 straight WCC Freshmen of the Year honors received by a Wave, with Gibbs taking home a third straight WCC Coach of the Year honor.
In 2000-01, The Waves reached the NCAA Championships for the third straight year, finishing 14th while winning the UCLA Pioneer Electronics Bruin Classic. Hull won the UCLA event and earned WGCA All-America second-team honors, while Lindsey Wright also earned second-team All-America recognition.
Pepperdine won four tournaments in the 2001-02 season featuring the Southern California Intercollegiate, UCLA Pioneer Electronics Bruin Classic, WCC Championship and a share of the NCAA West Regional title (the program’s first NCAA regional victory) before tying for ninth at the NCAA Championships. Hull won a pair of individual titles and Wright won the WCC Medalist honors. Hull went on to earn WGCA first-team All-American and Wright earned second-team honors, while Gibbs was WCC Coach of the Year for the fourth time.
The 2002-03 campaign was the most successful in program history, as the Waves finished runner-up at the NCAA Championship. Pepperdine was dominant through the regular season, winning five straight tournaments including a fifth WCC title in six years. The Waves finished second in the final Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, and also achieved a program first that season as they gained a #1 national ranking during the spring in both rankings. Hull’s senior campaign established herself as one of college golf’s best of the decade with four individual titles, culminating with her being named the NCAA Division I Player of the Year by the National Golf Coaches Association. Hull won individual medalist honors four times during the season. Other honors Hull received that year included the WCC’s co-Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the Dinah Shore Award, sponsored by the Ladies Professional Golf Association Foundation. Hull earned her third All-American honor, while Lindsey Wright made it for the fourth time. Carolina Llano claimed the first of three straight WCC Medalist titles. Gibbs was named WGCA West Region Coach of the Year for the second time while tabbing WCC Coach of the Year laurels once again.
In 2003-04, Pepperdine won its third consecutive WCC title. Individually, Carolina Llano won the NCAA Fall Preview and WCC individual title, eventually earning WGCA All-American honors. Eileen Vargas was also named WCC Freshman of the Year, with four total Waves receiving all-conference recognition.
Pepperdine logged another top-four finish at the NCAA Championships in 2004-05, also finishing the season ranked No. 4 in the country. Gibbs was named Golfweek National Coach of the Year following the campaign after guiding the Waves to another WCC crown and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Llano and Vargas also tabbed All-American honors with Marina Choi winning WCC Freshman of the Year.
The Waves remained a top-five team in the country in 2005-06, finishing third at the NCAA Championships while claiming a fifth straight conference title. The Waves won four tournaments along the way, featuring the he Dick McGuire Invitational, Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, Santa Clara Colby Invitational and WCC Championship. Gibbs collected another WCC Coach of the Year award as the Waves finished the season ranked No. 5 in the country. Jayvia Agojo took home WCC Medalist and Freshman of the Year honors while Vargas and Llano were once again named All-Americans.
In 2006-07, the Waves finished seventh at the NCAA Championships while also winning the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge and sixth straight WCC Championship. Gibbs received a third straight WCC Coach of the Year award, while Misun Cho was WCC Freshman of the Year, the WCC Medalist and an All-American. Agojo and Vargas also received All-American honors as the Waves finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation.
Gibbs and the Waves continued their dominant run in 2007-08, as she received her ninth WCC Coach of the Year title in 11 seasons, as the Waves posted another conference title, their seventh straight. Karle joined Cho as another Wave to take home WCC Freshman of the Year, WCC Medalist and All-American recognition in the same season.
The Waves finished ninth at the NCAA Championships in 2008-09, while winning the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown with a NCAA-record-setting performance shooting a 41-under 823, Wave Invitational and WCC Championship. Pepperdine went on to finish in the top-10 at the NCAA Championship for the eighth time in 11 seasons. Individually, Lisa McCloskey won the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown with a record score, Karle won the Wave Invitational and Agojo was the WCC Medalist. McCloskey was also WCC Freshman of the Year and a WGCA All-American.
In 2009-10, the Waves were once again a top-15 team in the country, finishing 14th at the NCAA Championships while claiming three team tournament wins. The Waves won the Golfweek Conference Challenge, Dick McGuire Invitational and WCC Championship. McCloskey won the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge and WCC individual crown, while Danielle Kang won the Bruin Wave Invitational. McCloskey was then named the conference’s first WCC Player of the Year while Kang tabbed WCC Freshman of the Year, with both earning All-American recognition. Gibbs was also named WCC Coach of the Year for the tenth time in her career.
Pepperdine continued its run in 2010-11, winning a 10th straight conference title along with the UNLV Spring Invitational. Grace Na was named WCC Freshman and Player of the Year while claiming WCC Medalist honors, in addition to All-American laurels. It began a run of four straight WCC Player of the Year wins for Na, who was also eventually a four-time All-American.
The Waves returned to the NCAA Championships in the spring of the 2011-12 season after finishing third at the NCAA Regionals. Gibbs took home another WCC Coach of the Year honor with Alina Ching claiming conference Freshman of the Year. As a team, the Waves also won the Bruin Wave Invitational and WCC Championship, while Na won the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown individually.
Pepperdine’s 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons both ended just a few strokes short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships, but Na earned All-American first team honors from both Golfweek and the WGCA in both years. She became the second four-time All-American in Pepperdine history, and the second two-time All-American first teamer.
The 2014-15 campaign Marissa Chow taking home two individual wins and also saw Gibbs receive WCC Coach of the Year. Tatiana Wijaya was WCC Freshman of the Year. Chow was the 2015 WCC Medalist, WCC Player of the Year and an All-American during her debut season. Chow continued her run with a second-straight All-American season in 2015-16.
The Waves finished third at the NCAA Regionals in 2016-17, advancing to the program’s 12th NCAA Championship. As a team, Pepperdine won the Ron Moore Intercollegiate while Momoka Kobori took home WCC Freshman of the Year. Pepperdine would go on to advance to a 20th-straight NCAA Regional the following year, in 2017-18.
In 2018-19, Pepperdine claimed its 18th West Coast Conference title while Gibbs collected her 13th WCC Coach of the Year honor. Hira Naveed had a breakout season with three individual wins, including the WCC Championship on her way to earning WCC Player of the Year.
The COVID-shortened 2019-20 season was highlighted by Momoka Kobori winning the Dirk McGuire Invitational before the spring championships were ultimately cancelled. Kobori was also named an All-American.
Returning in 2020-21, Pepperdine won the Moorpark Intercollegiate as a team while continuing its run of NCAA Regional appearances. Caroline Hwang was WCC Freshman of the Year while winning the WCC individual title.
The Waves won the WCC Championship in 2021-22 as Gibbs received WCC Coach of the Year. Lauren Gomez swept the WCC major awards with Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year and Medalist honors at the Championships.
Gibbs and the Waves set program records in 2022-23 with six team tournament victories, featuring the Golfweek Red Sky Classic, Golf Iconic Classic, Anuenue Spring Break Classic, Silicon Valley Showcase, WCC Championships and a share of the NCAA San Antonio Regional crown. Pepperdine went to post its fifth top-five finish at the NCAA Championships, advancing to match play for the first time in the new championship format. Lion Higo won a pair of individual championships and was named WCC Player of the Year while Kaleiya Romero was the WCC Medalist. Higo and Jeneath Wong also earned All-American honors following the campaign, and Gibbs claimed another WCC Coach of the Year award,
The Waves secured another WCC title in 2023-24 with Gibbs winning the conference’s Coach of the Year award. The Waves advanced to the NCAA Championship with a fifth-place finish at the regional round. Gomez claimed Medalist honors at the WCC Championship while Wong won the Silicon Valley Showcase individually. Wong also earned a second-straight All-American nod.
Pepperdine won the Silicon Valley Showcase in 2024-25 as Eunseo Choi took home the win individually, while Gomez secured another individual title for the Waves at the Dick McGuire Invitational. Choi went on to win WCC Freshman of the Year, joining Wong and Gomez as All-WCC honorees.
In 2025-26, Pepperdine advanced to match play once again at the NCAA Championships, finishing tied for fifth in the country. The trio of Wong, Eunseo Choi and Kylee Choi each received All-American recognition, as Eunseo Choi won a pair of individual titles at the Fresno State Classic and WCC Championship. As a team, Pepperdine won the Fresno State Classic and Yale Invitational West in addition to the program’s 22nd conference championship under Gibbs. Eunseo Choi was the WCC Medalist and Player of the Year with Kylee winning WCC Freshman of the Year. The Waves also finished second at the NCAA Stanford Regional, the program’s third top-two finish at a regional. Gibbs also received her 17th WCC Coach of the Year honor.
Prior to being hired as the head women’s golf coach at Pepperdine, Gibbs was a PGA teaching professional at the nearby Wilshire Country Club in Los Angeles and competed on the Women’s Western Professional Golf Tour. In addition to playing and teaching, Gibbs authored and marketed ProTips, a quick reference guide for golfers.
Gibbs played college golf at Long Beach State on an athletic scholarship and graduated from Santa Monica College.
Gibbs and her husband, Chris, have a daughter, Catherine (who graduated from Pepperdine in 2020 and earned her Master’s in Human Resources in 2021) was a member of the women’s swimming team. Their son, Christopher (who graduated from Pepperdine in 2026) was part of the Athletics event staff.
