After serving as the UCCS Women's Golf Assistant Coach for four years, Todd Laxson was named the UCCS Women's Golf Head Coach in June 2019. He begins his fourth season at the helm of the Mountain Lions in 2022-23.
Laxson led the women's golf team to one of their most successful seasons in program history, capped off by a runner-up finish at the RMAC Tournament. The Mountain Lions blasted onto the scene in September, winning the season opening tournament at the Colorado Christian University Swan Memorial on Sept. 13-14, besting all 19 teams.
Julia Baroth shot an even par in the three-round tournament (74, 72, 70) to win the individual title after scoring a 216 to lead all 107 golfers. UCCS picked up where they left off to open the spring season, earning their second team win at the Southwest Minnesota State Spring Invitational on March 7-8, held at Wigwam Golf Course in Litchfield Park, Ariz. UCCS closed out the 2021-22 season with a strong performance at the 2022 RMAC Championship Tournament. The Mountain Lions made a run at CCU but finished runner-up with an 890, eight strokes behind the conference champions CCU Cougars (882). Baroth excelled in her final tournament as a Mountain Lion, placing second overall with a two-under par 214. Right behind Baroth in the top five were Shimkus (fourth, 220) and Kreil (fifth, 221) as all four Mountain Lion scorers placed in the top-20 (
Samantha Saile, tied-18
th). Following the 2021-22 season, Barth was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 6 First Team, becoming the first Mountain Lion in program history to be named to the all-district academic team.
UCCS capped off the 2020-21 season with a second place finish at the 2021 RMAC Championships. Freshman Emily Shimkus won the individual title after firing off a 67 in the final round to score a 221 for the tournament. As a team, the Mountain Lions carded a 930, just three strokes off from the team champion Westminster College (927). Shimkus and Julia Baroth garnered All-RMAC First Team honors while Dakotah Kreil was named to the Second Team. Baroth was also voted to the RMAC All-Academic First Team as Julia Eaton and Kreil garnered Honor Roll accolades.
In his first season as head coach in 2019-20, the Mountain Lions competed in five tournaments before the season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mountain Lions recorded their best tournament finish in the season-opening tournament at the CSU-Pueblo Farmers Insurance Invite, finishing fifth out of 14 teams. In April 2020, Julia Baroth and Dakotah Kreil were named to the RMAC All-Academic First Team while Brianna Vetter was named to the Honor Roll.
Laxson, who helped UCCS to their first conference championship title in 2018, competed for the Mountain Lions men's golf team from 1997-2000 under current men's golf head coach
Phil Trujillo. He played the 1996-97 season at the University of Northern Colorado.
For the past 19 years, Laxson has been involved with golf at Cherokee Ridge Golf Course in Colorado Springs, Colo. He began as the Assistant Golf Professional and Director of Personnel in 2000 where he created and implemented a summer junior golf program and supervised golf instructors for the Linkers junior golf program.
In 2004, Laxson was elevated to the Director of Golf Operations and Head Golf Professional at Cherokee Ridge GC. In his role managing CRGC, Laxson also oversees the Parks Department for Cherokee Metropolitan District, manages inventory and food and beverage operations, and he serves as the lead instructor for the Pikes Peak Linkers junior golf program.
Prior to joining the UCCS women's golf coaching staff, Laxson was the head boys and girls golf coach at Mitchell High School.
A 2004 graduate from UCCS with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Laxson is currently a board member for the First Tee of Pikes Peak committee and a member of the Education Committee for the Colorado Section of the PGA.
