NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Becoming the third head coach in the history of the program, Christopher Newport University has named Oda Kilsti as Head Women's Golf Coach. Director of Athletics Kyle McMullin announced the selection on Thursday ahead of the Captains' first tournament this weekend.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Oda to the Christopher Newport community," said McMullin. "Her experiences as a student-athlete at East Carolina and competing for her national team are notable, but as our committee got to know Oda during the search process, it became plainly evident that her commitment to excellence in academics and competition will be a powerful asset for all of our students. We are fortunate to have Oda leading this talented team.
 
Oda Kilsti, a native of Skodje, Norway, has spent the last five years as a member of the community at East Carolina University where she studied and played women's golf for the Pirates. One of the top players in program history, Kilsti finished her Pirate career with a career scoring average of 74.05 ranking third all-time.
 
"I am honored to join Christopher Newport University as the new women's golf head coach," said Kilsti. "CNU has a proud tradition of excellence both academically and athletically, and I am excited to begin building relationships with our student-athletes. I look forward to shaping a competitive program that reflects CNU's commitment to excellence on and off the course."
 
Kilsti competed with the Norwegian National Team and was a member of the Aalesund Golfklubb that claimed the Norwegian Team Championship. After several marquee performances in Norway, she was recruited to play in the United States by ECU where she put together an outstanding collegiate career.
 
Despite being limited by the CoVID-19 global pandemic in her first year, Kilsti competed in two events as a freshman and earned All-Academic Team honors. As a sophomore, she competed in five events and repeated as an All-Academic team selection while earning WGCA All-American Scholar honors for the first time. In her first full season as a junior, she led the team in scoring and earned her first collegiate victory with a first place finish in the Pirate Collegiate Classic. She added two more top five finishes and was named the AAC Women's Golfer of the Month for September.
 
Over her final two seasons, she continued to lead the way for the Pirates as a starter in 18 tournaments. Her impressive run included adding the fourth-best single season scoring average in program history with a 73.3 over 33 rounds in 2022-23. She competed in 34 career events and logged 32 rounds at par or better including a career-low 67. All the while, she continued her stellar performance in the classroom and became just the eighth ECU player ever to earn WGCA All-American Scholar honors in four consecutive years.
 
In 2024, she added Academic All-District plaudits from the College Sports Communicators while double majoring in Interpersonal/Organizational Communication and Political Science. Kilsti earned her bachelor's degrees in 2024 and went on to secure her Master of Arts in Strategic Communication in 2025.
 
Kilsti takes over a CNU women's golf program that was ranked in the top-25 of the Mizuno WGCA Coaches Poll last season. The Captains averaged 315.7 as a team to mark the finest scoring average in the eight-year history of the program.