Gila Ridge High School senior Kylee Gerber has signed her letter of intent to continue her education and golf career at San Diego Christian College next fall.

Gerber, a four-year letterman for the Hawks, has qualified for the State Tournament in all four seasons. Voted the 2019-20 Yuma Sun/Yuma Rotary Female golfer of the year, she said she is feeling excitement as she looks forward to the future.

"Playing golf in college has always been my goal and I've worked as hard as I could to get this opportunity," Gerber said. "I'm excited to play for a great coach and be a part of the first women's golf recruiting class in San Diego Christian history.”
Gerber will tee it up for coach Matt Ward, whose Hawks play in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ (NAIA) Golden State Athletic Conference. Ward has been involved with the game of golf for over 20 years. His first coaching position was an assistant with the men's and women's golf programs at Jamestown College (N.D.). He spent two years as an assistant coach at Minnesota State, where he helped the Mavericks qualify for the 2010 NCAA Div. II National Championships. Ward also served four seasons as the head men's golf coach at Colorado Mesa University.

This year, he will be the helming a program into its first season, a fact that Gerber says makes her even more excited.

“To be a part of the first ever women’s team at SDCC is pretty cool,” she said. “To make history and to start the foundation of the program for years to come is really exciting.”
Gerber finished tied for 20th place out of 80 participants during the 2019 Arizona Interscholastic Association Division II State Tournament, where she shot a 17-over-par 159 for the two-day event. Gerber will get one more crack at the state tournament this season, as she is currently ranked 37th overall in Division II. This year’s State Championships will be held on Nov. 2-3, 2020 at the Omni Tucson National Course.