Colleen Cashman enters her 12th year at the helm of the UAlbany women's golf program in the spring of 2025. She is a four-time MAAC Coach of the Year who has led UAlbany to four MAAC titles and NCAA Tournament appearances.
The 2023-24 season saw the Great Danes return to the top of the MAAC after a five-year hiatus. UAlbany captured it's fourth MAAC Tournament title with Cashman leading the team. The Great Danes finished with a final score of 888, three strokes lower than Fairfield and Quinnipiac. The Charge was led by Lucia Esteban, finishing in a tie for second place just one shot over par. Katelin Richards followed close behind in a tie for fourth just five strokes above par. The Great Danes would move on to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, taking part in the Auburn Regional at the Auburn University Club in Alabama.
Cashman led the Great Danes to consistent finishes in the MAAC Championship prior to her fourth ring, guiding the team to second place finishes in three-consecutive years (2020-21, 2021-22, 2022-23).
On March 12, the 2020 spring season was cut short after five games due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent decisions made by the NCAA and its member conferences and institutions to cancel spring events. UAlbany was picked first in the MAAC preseason conference poll, aiming to win its third straight conference title. Cashman led the Great Danes to another fall Crosstown Challenge title, defeating rival Siena 284 to 327. Senior Helga Einarsdottir led the way for UAlbany during the season, which was highlighted by a sixth place performance scoring 143 (-1) at the Dartmouth Invitational.
Cashman guided the Great Danes to their second straight MAAC championship in 2018-19. UAlbany led the conference championship from start to finish and won by 17 strokes to qualify for the program's third NCAA Regional. The title culminated a season during which the Great Danes defeated Siena twice in the Crosstown Challenge, captured the 15-team Dartmouth Invitational and placed fourth at the prestigious John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate. Madison Walker was named the league's co-Rookie of the Year.
UAlbany won its second MAAC title in the 2017-18 season, making Cashman the MAAC Coach of the Year, and earned its second-ever berth into the NCAA Tournament, going to the Tallahassee Regional at Florida State University. The team also earned top-two finishes in the Dartmouth Women's Golf Invite and the Wofford Low Country Intercollegiate. Annie Songeun Lee earned the McLeod Trophy for finishing first in the MAAC Championship and was joined on the All-MAAC Team by Megan Henry, Helga Einarsdottir and Caroline Juillat.
In the 2016-17 season, the Great Danes were the runner-up in the 2017 MAAC Championship, just strokes behind the defending champion Quinnipiac. The team also earned first place finishes in a match vs. Siena and the Hartford Hawks Women's Invitational. Three UAlbany players were honored on the All-MAAC team with top-10 finishes in the conference championship, including Paige Fujihara finishing second overall, Helga Einarsdottir being tied for third and Megan Henry concluding tied for tenth.
The Great Danes earned a pair of first place finishes in the 2015-16 season, concluding in the top-5 in four other tournaments. Annie Songeun Lee finished seventh overall in the MAAC Championship to be placed on the all-conference team, helping UAlbany to a fifth place finish.
In her second season, Cashman was named the 2015 MAAC Women’s Coach of the Year, leading the Great Danes to the program’s first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title. Shooting a record-low 303 in the championship’s first round, UAlbany finished 11 strokes ahead of runner-up Siena after three days with a score of 937. Freshman Annie Songeun Lee took the individual title and Rookie of the Year honors, as the Great Danes boasted three athletes in the top-10. Junior Yoorim Kang tied for sixth and sophomore Paige Fujihara tied for 10th. With the conference title, Cashman led UAlbany to its first NCAA Regional appearance. The Great Danes competed at Entrada at Snow Canyon Country Club in St. George, Utah.
In her first season, the Great Danes competed in 10 events, placing second at the ECAC Championship in the fall and third in the MAAC Championship in the spring. At the time, the MAAC performance marked the Danes’ best finish since becoming an associate member of the conference in 2010. In addition, seven athletes were named to the MAAC Academic Honor Roll under her direction.
Prior to her appointment on Sept. 6, 2013, Cashman spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the University of Michigan women’s golf team.
During the 2011-12 season at Michigan, Cashman helped the Wolverines reach their seventh NCAA regional appearance, while capturing five top-five individual finishes and a fourth-place team result at the Big Ten Championship. Michigan ended the season ranked 48th in the nation at the NCAA Division I level. In the 2012-13 season, she helped the squad to co-medalist team honors at the Wolverine Invitational, and coached the tournament’s individual champion.
Cashman oversaw Michigan’s recruiting process, and successfully committed two of the nation’s top-35 recruits. She also monitored and oversaw the team’s academic progress, helping the squad achieve a perfect 1,000 APR mark.
Prior to arriving in Ann Arbor, Cashman coached 12 years at her high school alma mater, St. Thomas Aquinas, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. She helped St. Thomas Aquinas to a 131-16-2 record in 12 seasons and to 12 straight Florida High School Golf State Championship appearances, winning the title in 2001 and earning a runner-up finish in 2003. The 12-year run is currently the longest streak in school history.
Cashman has seven regional titles and four runner-up titles to her credit as well as eight district titles and three district runner-up finishes. She was named the Florida State High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2001 and earned Coach of the Year honors from the Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel newspapers three times (2001, '03, '04). In 2011, she helped in the founding of the South Florida Off-Season High School Golf Tour.
In addition to her coaching duties with the Raiders, Cashman served as the director of marketing and membership for the Plantation Preserve Golf Course and Club in Plantation, Fla. from 2004-2011.
Before beginning her coaching career, Cashman played in more than 100 professional golf tournaments as part of the LPGA's FUTURES Golf Tour. Making the cut in nearly 80 percent of her events, she posted nine top-10 finishes, including winning the 2003 Tampa Bay Next Generation FUTURES Golf Classic. She also had two appearances at the U.S Women's Open. She played in 2002 at Prairie Dunes in Hutchison, Kan., and again in 2006 at Newport Country Club in Newport, R.I.
During her collegiate career at Purdue, she was a two-time All-Big Ten first team selection (1997, '98) and three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (1996, '97, '98). A three-time captain, she played in 45 consecutive events for the Boilermakers, never missing an event in her career. Helping Purdue to five team titles in her career, she was a two-time medalist -- the 1996 San Diego State Invitational and the 1998 Hawkeye Invitational -- and garnered four runner-up finishes.
Earning her bachelor's degree in restaurant, hotel, institutional and tourism management (RHIT) in 1998, Cashman was named Purdue's MVP on two occasions (1997, '98) and Purdue's Female Athlete of the Month twice (Sept. 1994 and Oct. 1996). She was awarded the Red Mackey Award for Commitment to Purdue Athletics in 1998 and has been nominated to serve on Purdue's Advisory Board for Women's Athletics.
