May 20, 2002
LAS VEGAS - UNLV women's golf head coach Kelley Hester announced Monday that she has accepted the same position at the University of Arkansas, leaving the Rebel program after just one year at the helm.
"I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to start a program at a top Division I school and feel as though I helped build a strong foundation," Hester said. "Regardless of who leads the way for this program, it will be successful, and that is a tribute to the Athletics Department and the Las Vegas golf community, which are willing to take the necessary steps to make that happen.
"I was presented with a great opportunity to go to a great program and get back to the Southeastern Conference, which is where my roots are," Hester added. "As a coach, you hope for opportunities like that. The timing of this is not what I would have hoped for, but you do not always get to choose when opportunities come around."
Hester has guided the Rebel program from its infancy from February of 2001 through its first season, which ended on April 24. In that year, the Rebels boasted not only an individual champion, but also a fifth-place finish at the Mountain West Conference Championship. In only two recruiting seasons, she signed five players ranked among the top 50 nationally within their respective classes.
"Kelley Hester has done a great job here building a solid foundation for an up-and-coming program," UNLV director of athletics John Robinson said. "The positive work she has done launching UNLV women's golf will help us build it into one of the top programs in the country, which is our plan. We will proceed quickly to seek an outstanding replacement to move us into the next level."
Although Hester will continue at UNLV until May 31, the search for her replacement will begin immediately.
"We wish Kelley the best of luck," UNLV associate athletics director Lisa Kelleher said. "She has done a great job with the foundation of this program and we certainly appreciate that. We will begin process of a national search for a new coach and we hope to have someone in place by July 1. We anticipate this will be a position that will create as much interest as it did when Kelley was hired."
The Rebels will return eight players from this year's roster and add two top juniors to the squad in 2002-03.
