Women's Golf
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- joey.cerulle@csulb.edu
- Phone:
- 985-7523
The back-to-back Big West Coach of the Year, Joey Cerulle has led the Women’s Golf program to new heights and is entering his 12th season in charge of the program in 2020-21, resuming competition after play was suspended in March of 2020 prior to the Big West and NCAA Championships.
Before the pandemic, Long Beach State charged to the Big West Championship for the second consecutive year in 2018-19, pulling away by eight strokes. Led by Haley Tygret who was the Individual Medalist, marking the second straight year an LBSU claimed the top spot on the leaderboard, the Beach captured the program’s third Big West Championship. The win also secured a fourth NCAA Tournament appearance for the Beach, the second year in a row under Cerulle.
The 2017-18 season was a successful one for the Beach as the team won the Big West Conference Championship by 10 strokes, earning Cerulle Big West Co-Coach of the Year honors. It was Long Beach State’s first tournament title in women’s golf since the 2008-09 campaign.
Those last two seasons have marked a steady climb for the program under Cerulle. After placing second in back-to-back Big West championships in his first two seasons, Cerulle has made the program a fixture in NCAA consideration. Kassidy Teare made two straight appearances as an individual in 2015 and 2016, and with the two team berths in the last two seasons LBSU has been represented in the postseason during four of the last five years.
Cerulle was selected to replace Sue Ewart, who stepped down after serving 13 years as the head coach at the Beach, after spending the 2008-09 season as the assistant coach for the men's and women's golf teams at California Baptist in Riverside, Calif.
Cerulle helped both men's and women's teams at Cal Baptist to a pair of NAIA Top 25 rankings. The women's team achieved its highest ranking in school history as the Lancers were ranked No. 2. Cal Baptist also produced three NAIA All-Americans as the Lancers won the GSAC/CalPAC Conference and finished in third place at the National Tournament. He also coached the highest-rated player in the NAIA (Malin Thorberg). The men's team earned its first tournament title in program history as the Lancers won at Poppy Hills. They also finished second at the GSAC/Cascade Conference Championship. The Lancers finished the season ranked No. 23 in the nation by Golfstat.
From 2005 to the spring of 2008, Cerulle was the first head coach at Concordia University Irvine. While at Concordia, Cerulle guided both men's and women's teams into the NAIA Top 25. In 2007, the men's team advanced to the NAIA National Championships. He also coached one NAIA All-American, Gregg Banks and one Daktronics-Scholar Athlete.
Cerulle spent three seasons (2005-08) as assistant head golf coach at nearby St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower. While there, he coached a trio of players that went on to play at the collegiate level.
From 1998-2003, Cerulle was a golf instructor with the Long Beach Junior Golf Association as he taught course etiquette and rules and helped maintain and run the largest junior golf organization in California.
Cerulle is a 2004 graduate of Concordia University, earning his bachelor's in mathematics. He received the Most Outstanding Graduate Award from the mathematics department.
