Monday, June 24, 2002 | 10:03 a.m.
UNLV hired a new women's golf coach today after reviewing more than 30 candidates in the last month.
Former Minnesota women's coach Melissa Arthur-Ringler will become the second coach in the program's history. She will replace Kelley Hester, who left after one season to become the head coach at Arkansas.
Arthur-Ringler met with school officials Thursday and athletic director John Robinson on Friday.
"I'm really excited about the opportunity to develop a new program," Arthur-Ringler said. "I know that Kelley and the UNLV administration laid a great foundation for the program and it's off to a good start.
"There are some very, very good recruits coming in," Arthur-Ringler said of Sunny Oh, of Torrance, Calif., and Elena Kurokawa, of Redondo Beach, Calif. "The climate for golf puts me in a situation where I can recruit in a place that has year round golf."
Hester headed the program in its inaugural season and brought in the school's first two recruiting classes that includes five players ranked in the top 50 in the country.
The Rebels finished fifth at the Mountain West Conference Championships.
"Melissa has great experience in terms of coaching in different conferences," UNLV associate athletic director Lisa Kelleher said. "She is very enthusiastic about the program and knew our current players and new recruits very well.
"She is just going to be a great fit for us as we transition into our second coach. We're thrilled that she said 'yes.' "
Kelleher was disappointed Hester resigned after just one year and said the committee looked to hire someone committed to the program. Arthur-Ringler signed a three-year contract with a July 15 start date.
"I plan on making Las Vegas my home," she said.
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