Taylor Riggs is entering his third season as Head Coach for the UC Men and Women's Golf programs in 2018-19.
Riggs, who led the women's program to Mid-South Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships as well as an eighth-place finish at the NAIA National Championship, was named the MSC Coach of the Year in 2017-18. He coached one Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete (Kaitlyn Riley), one NAIA All-Tournament Team member (Riley), the MSC Tournament Medalist (Riley) and runner-up (Lucia Pena), the MSC Golfer of the Year (Riley), the MSC Student-Athlete of the Year (Riley) the MSC Freshman of the Year (Pena), three First Team All-Conference honorees, one Second Team All-Conference honoree, two Academic All-Conference selections and his golfers earned four MSC Golfer of the Week awards. On the men's side, Riggs coached the Patriots to a second-place finish at the Mid-South Conference Tournament and the Tournament Medalist (Ben Kendrick). He also coached one Second Team NAIA All-American (Kendrick), one NAIA All-Tournament Team member (Kendrick), one Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete (Kendrick), the MSC Golfer of the Year (Kendrick), an MSC Champions of Character honoree (Kendrick), one First Team All-Conference honoree, one Second Team All-Conference honoree, four Academic All-Conference selections and one MSC Golfer of the Week.
In his first season as Head Coach, Riggs coached the Women's team to a Mid-South Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships, while winning Co-Coach of the Year in 2016-17. On the Men's side he coached Ben Kendrick to a MSC Individual title, as well as MSC Golfer of the Year and runner-up at NAIA National Championship.
Riggs comes to Cumberlands from Eastern Kentucky University where he was an assistant coach for the Colonels last season. While he was there, the women’s team won three tournaments, including the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Championship, while the men earned one tournament victory.
Before becoming an assistant at EKU, he played and lettered four years for the Colonels. He was a member of the 2015 All-OVC Team, a member of the 2015 OVC Championship team, a two-time All-American Academic Scholar, and the 2014 OVC Medal of Honor winner. Riggs has competed in four Southern Amateur Championships, three Kentucky State Amateur Championships, and three Kentucky State Opens.
“I think the University of the Cumberlands is a beautiful place with a great opportunity for all students. The campus is a great place to be and has a great family atmosphere,” said Riggs. “The golf programs have a history of winning here at Cumberlands, which is why it is such a great time to be here at UC. We have great players, who have a lot of talent. Winning the Mid-South Conference Championships is a very important thing here and we will continue to strive to win those championships and hopefully compete for a national title.”
Kraftick added, “I can't say enough about how impressed I've been with Coach Riggs through the entire hiring process. Taylor has a tremendous playing resume and is well respected across Kentucky. His energy and passion for the challenge makes him a great fit for UC Golf.”
Riggs is originally from LaGrange, KY where he was a graduate of Oldham County High School. He resides in Williamsburg.
