Lewis & Clark College

Mari (Kotake) Rayner is the first women’s golfer in school history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. It’s no surprise, after Rayner put together one of the best debut seasons in school history. She kicked off her collegiate career by winning the 2001 NWC Fall Classic and added wins in the Spring at the Pacific and Linfield Invitationals. At the NWC Championship, Rayner birdied the 36th and final hole of the tournament, to win by one stroke (79-83-162) and become the first and only Lewis & Clark women’s player to win a NWC Championship. She earned a bid to the 2002 NCAA Championship Tournament and placed 36th overall. At the conclusion of the year, she was named the NCAA DIII Women’s National Freshman of the Year – after posting the 12th-best scoring average in all of DIII (82.83). 

Over her final three seasons, Rayner would lead the Pioneers to three-straight second-place finishes in the conference. She finished fourth at the NWC Championship Tournament in both 2003 and 2005.