Akiyama joined the Knights as an assistant coach prior to the 2020-21 season. One of the top players in team history, she closed her collegiate career by winning the Women’s Golf Coaches Association’s (WGCA) Division III Juli Inkster Senior Award in 2020 and was a first-team WGCA All-American for 2019-20, garnering the second All-America Award of her career. A four-time All-Region and All-MIAC pick, Akiyama was an easy selection for both the 2019-20 MIAC’s Senior and Player of the Year Awards. She paced the conference in adjusted scoring average (74.21) by more than two strokes per round and won three of the five tournaments which were held, including a wire-to-wire victory at the MIAC Championships where she broke the 36- and 54-hole scoring records en route to capturing the second conference title of her career. Akiyama posted a career 77.31 scoring average, which ranks second-best in program history. She is 1 of 5 individuals to win multiple MIAC Player of the Year Awards for women’s golf (2017 and 2020) and was the 15th woman in MIAC golf history to be named to four straight all-conference teams. As a player, she helped the Knights post a trio of top-7 results at the NCAA Championships.
