California University of Pennsylvania Athletics

Simone De Souza was a three-time NCAA Division II national qualifier and All-American for Cal U’s women’s golf team from 2006-09.

She was the first Cal U women’s golfer to earn All-America honors and to medal at the PSAC Championships.

De Souza is also the first women’s golfer to be inducted into Cal U’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

“This is a huge honor for me and one of the most important accomplishments in my golf career,” De Souza said. “It feels good to know that you are part of history somewhere. I can’t wait to come back for the banquet and see how Cal has grown and improved.

“I’m truly a proud Vulcan!”

De Souza finished 10th at the NCAA National Championships in 2007 and 15th in 2008, but she shone especially bright in her senior season when she finished fourth overall. She and teammate Dianne Luke ’12 were the lone PSAC representatives at the NCAA Championships that year.

De Souza was named the 2008-09 PSAC Women’s Player of the Year with a team-best scoring average of 76.3 through 13 events. She recorded 11 top-20 individual tournament finishes that year, including first-place honors at the Grand Valley State and Cal State San Marcos invitationals and the PSAC individual championship tournament.

In all, she led the Vulcans to five invitational team titles and the program’s first of five conference championships that fall.

Despite her many individual accolades, De Souza takes great pride in the team accomplishments.

“Individually, maybe I was the one winning more tournaments, getting the recognition and qualifying for nationals, but it all was for my team,” she said. “My teammates are all amazing people and the best part of it for me. We worked hard to give our best on the course, learned from each other and enjoyed competing.”

The women’s golf title was one of four team conference championships won by Cal U athletics in 2008-09. That strong overall showing earned the University its first Dixon Trophy, an annual award given to the PSAC member institution with the most successful all-around program.

De Souza’s and Luke’s strong national showings also helped Cal U finish ninth in the race for the 2008-09 Learfield Sports Directors' Cup. The national award annually honors institutions that maintain a broad-based program in both men's and women's sports. Cal U was the only PSAC school to rank in the Learfield top 20 for that athletic year.

A native of Trujillo, Peru, De Souza began playing golf at age seven, although Peru has just 13 golf courses and no high school golf programs. She began playing for the Peruvian National Team at age 14.

After graduating from Fleming High School, where she played scholastic soccer, De Souza competed in the prestigious Junior Orange Bowl International Golf Championship and eventually was recruited and signed by Cal U women’s golf coach MerriLyn Gibbs.

“She was just a joy to work with and obviously extraordinarily talented,” Gibbs said. “Her golf skill is incredible and just hits the ball very long. Simone is creative, has very good course management and knows how to use her skill well, when to step back from making risky plays.”

Gibbs emphasized De Souza’s team-oriented approach and said she always treated her teammates with respect and would help them with her shot knowledge during practices.

“One thing I always loved about her was that even though she really was the standout player Simone was always concerned about her teammates,” said Gibbs. “When she’d get off the course after finishing a round or even while she was still playing she always would ask me how the others were doing. She always had a team-minded spirit.”

De Souza earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in management and a minor in economics. She was recognized as a PSAC Scholar-Athlete during the 2008-09 academic year and was named to the Cal U Athletic Director Honor Roll six times.

Gibbs believes De Souza’s determination and success in the classroom was every bit as impressive as what she did on the golf course.

“As a student, she knew very little English when she came here and the classes were a challenge at first but she ended up graduating with honors,” Gibbs said. “She just worked really hard in the classroom as she did with golf.

“Simone is just a determined young woman who excels at things she puts her mind to.”

De Souza said if she could go back in time she’d choose Cal U again.

“I always got help and support from my coach, teammates, professors, athletic department and friends,” De Souza said. “They all were very nice, took care of me and made me feel special.

“Cal gave me so much more than just a career and golf accomplishments.”

Understandably, De Souza lauded Gibbs, who is in her 11th year of coaching at Cal U.

“I will always be grateful to her and Coach Gibbs truly believed in me and our team,” said De Souza. “She taught me how to be a goal-oriented person. We aimed high and I think that was part of our success. Coach Gibbs always kept us motivated, pushed hard at practice and showed us her passion for the team.“

After earning her college degree, De Souza spent two years on the Symetra Tour, the LPGA’s official developmental tour. She continued her professional career by playing on the Canadian Tour for a year.

Today, De Souza remains a competitive amateur golfer. She placed a strong 10th at the 2015 South American Amateur Women’s Championships and helped the Peru Mixed Team finish fourth among 16 national teams at the 2015 Pan American Games.

Since May 2013, De Souza has worked for the Peruvian Golf Federation while playing on the national team. She now makes her home in Lima, Peru, and Cal U holds a special place in her heart.

“I went to Cal to give my best,” De Souza said. “The opportunity I received to study and play golf through a scholarship was a dream come true.”

updated 4/12/16