Michelle Winkler was named head coach of the CSUN women’s golf program in November 2022. She completed her third season as head coach in 2024-25, leading the Matadors to one of their finest seasons in program history.

During the 2024-25 season, CSUN won its first tournament team championship in 11 years, capturing the Eagle Invitational at Circling Raven G.C. in Worley, Idaho (Sept. 23). The win was the first of three tournament championships the Matadors would take home in 2024-25.

Individually, CSUN picked up a pair of wins as freshman Ariya Soldwisch won the Eagle Invitational and junior Gracie Piar claimed individual medalist honors at the WMU Bronco Fall Classic in October.

After opening the season with a fifth-place team finish at Utah Valley's Wolverine Invitational, the Matadors were the only team to finish under par to claim the Eagle Invitational team championship by three shots, while Soldwisch posted her best collegiate tournament finish. The win was CSUN's first team tournament title since capturing the 2014 Matador Invitational, as CSUN set a program record for a 36-hole tournament. At 1-under 575, the Matadors shattered the previous record of 591 set at the Lamkin Cup/Cal Poly Invitational in 2009. Soldwisch wound up tied for first with Montana State's Lauren Greeny at 6-under 138.

The Matadors followed up two weeks later, winning the WMU Bronco Fall Classic, behind Piar's individual championship. With a three-round score of 924, CSUN held off Ohio (929) by five shots and host Western Michigan (930) by six.

The team victory gave CSUN consecutive tournament wins for the first time in program history as the Matadors followed up their win at the Eagle Invitational two weeks earlier. It also marked the first time since 2009 that CSUN has won multiple events in the same season. CSUN also captured its second straight individual championship as Piar picked up her first win since 2023 when she took medalist honors at the Utah Tech Invitational. Piar, who led after 36 holes at 1-over 145, carded a 4-over 76 on Tuesday to finish the tournament at 5-over 221. Piar had two birdies and 11 pars in the final round.

The Matadors then finished off an impressive regular season, winning the Fresno State at Copper River Country Club on Apr. 1. CSUN carded a season-best 285 team total to overtake a pair of teams and capture its third tournament title of the season. The Matadors' final round 285 was one shot better than their second round 286 at the Eagle Invitational in September. Sophomore Nicole Tanoue fired a season-low 4-under 68 for the second consecutive round to finish second in the 45-player field at 4-under 212. After posting five birdies in the second round on Monday, Tanoue, who finished one shot back of the individual medalist (Louise Depadt of Tarleton State), had seven birdies in the final round. She had four birdies on the front nine to make the turn at 3-under before adding three birdies and a pair of bogeys on the back nine to finish the day at 4-under 68.

CSUN had an impressive season in 2023-24, posting three top-five finishes along with four top-10 finishes as Tanoue became the first CSUN golfer since 2019 to earn All-Big West honors. The Matadors set several program records before finishing sixth at the 2024 Big West Women's Golf Championship, the best finish for the Matadors since 2019. The Matadors established a program record with a tournament score of 880 at the Timpanogos Collegiate Invitational in September, 2023. The Matadors 36-hole score of 588 in the same tournament is also a program record. In total, the 2023-24 Matadors reached the program 54-hole best list eight times this past season.

Individually, Tanoue finished with a team-leading 75.03 scoring average which ranks fourth in CSUN history. Sophomores Gracie Piar's scoring average (75.84) ranks seventh for a single season, while Kim Turgut's 76.06 ranks eighth. Fellow freshman Meghan Paracuelles finished her debut season with a 77.57 scoring average while posting CSUN's lone individual win at the Utah Tech Trailblazer Invitational in February.

After being named interim head coach in January 2022, she led CSUN to a trio of top-10 finishes during the spring. The Matadors posted a season-best fifth-place showing at the Kingsmill Intercollegiate in March. CSUN also finished in the top-10 at the Islander Classic (Feb. 21-22) and the Big West Championship (Apr. 10-12).

During the 2022-23 season, Winkler led the Matadors to a second-place finish at the Zupas Trailblazer Invitational (Feb. 13-14) with freshman Gracie Piar claiming individual medalist honors at 4-under 140. CSUN also posted its best 18-hole team score since 2019 with a second-round 299 at the Pizza Hut Lady Thunderbird Invitational (March 9-11). The Matadors' tournament score of 612 ranks 10th in program history for 36 holes.

Winkler is a Class A PGA Professional, a Golf Channel GolfPass Coach, and a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher (2021-2023). She carries numerous certifications, which include Swing Catalyst Level 2, BodiTrak, Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Level 1, and Mike Adam’s BioSwingDynamics. Winkler came to CSUN from Cal State Fullerton where she served as the Titans’ volunteer assistant coach. Prior to her appointment at Fullerton, she spent six years (2015-2021) as an assistant golf professional at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Connecticut.

While at The Stanwich Club, she taught over 300 hours of individual lessons, group clinics, and junior golf programs each year. Winkler created and co-hosted the “BioSwingDynamics Mastermind Group,” which was a guided discussion group for female golf instructors, while also creating the “Quarantine Coaching Hour,” which contained interviews and exercises on YouTube.

Winkler also has extensive teaching experience at various golf clubs on the East Coast. She has spent time teaching at the Jupiter Island Club in Hobe Sound, Fla. (2018-19), the Joey D Sports Training Center in Jupiter, Fla. (2016-17), the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (2014-16), the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, Mass. (2014-15) and Indian Hill Country Club in Newington, Conn. (2012-14).

A 2012 graduate of Xavier University, Winkler earned cum laude honors as a social sciences major (sport management) and was a four-year member of the Muskateer women’s golf team. A standout in the classroom, she was a three-time NGCA All-American Scholar. While in high school, Winkler was rated as the second-best Connecticut women's junior golfer for 2007 and was the runner-up in Connecticut's Girls Junior Championship the summer of 2007.

Winkler is married to Dr. Scott Lynn and has a son, Luke.

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