Tavia Rutherford

Tavia Rutherford is originally from Bakersfield, CA where she attended Frontier High School and graduated at the top of her class. Following graduation, she brought her skills in the classroom and on the course to USF.

In 2011, Rutherford finished 11th in the NSIC Championship as a true freshman and went on to earn First Team All-NSIC honors the next three golf seasons at USF. She finished 9th in the NSIC and 11th in the NCAA Central Region during her sophomore year, making her the first-ever USF golfer to achieve NSIC All-Conference recognition and a regional championship bid after the Cougars transitioned to NCAA Division II.

As a junior, she finished 6th in the NSIC and 10th in the NCAA Central Region earning her a spot on the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) All-District At-Large Team. Rutherford was also named an All-American Scholar in 2014 and 2015 by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA).

During her senior campaign, Rutherford finished 4th in the NSIC and 5th in the NCAA Central Region while also being named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team and to the WGCA All-Central Region Team. Rutherford was USF's first-ever NSIC Golfer-of-the-Year and finished tied for 37th at the 2015 NCAA National Tournament where she was named the DII NCAA Elite 89 Award winner.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Sioux Falls in 2015 with a Bachelor of Science in exercise science and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology.

Rutherford currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana where she coaches men’s and women’s golf at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis.