Ryan Williams

Biography

The three seasons that Ryan Williams has led Central Michigan women’s golf have concluded with the best Mid-American Conference Championship finishes in program history. Williams’ Chippewas have finished third, fifth and seventh in the 10-team season-ending tournament; prior to his arrival, the program had finished better than 10th just once (eighth in 2022). Under Williams, CMU set a program record with a MAC Championship 36-hole scoring record when it shot 617 in the 2025 tournament at Delaware Country Club in Muncie, Ind. Ella Zanatta capped an outstanding freshman season when she earned a spot on the All-MAC Second Team, becoming the third Chippewa to capture all-conference honors. Williams has coached all three of those student-athletes, including three-time honoree Ashley Goh. Under Williams’ tutelage, graduate student Hailey Katona earned five top 10 finishes and Zanatta posted four in 2024-25. Among Zanatta’s four top 10s was a victory while averaging a team-best 76.04, the fourth best season average in program history. Zanatta’s win came in April at the Dolores Black Falcon Invitational in Bowling Green, Ohio, when she posted an even-par 142 total, the second best 36-hole score in program history. Zanatta led the Chippewas to a runner-up finish in the event, marking CMU’s top team finish of the season. Zanatta headlines a strong core of players who will return for Williams in the 2025-26 season. Included in that group is junior-to-be Rachel Niskanen, who was third on

Career Path