Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
Former Spartan Leila Raines Returns Home to Michigan State as Assistant Women’s Golf Coach
5/27/2025 2:04:00 PM | Women's Golf
East Lansing, Mich. – Former Michigan State women's golf standout Leila Raines returns to her alma mater as an assistant coach, Head Coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll announced today.
Raines, who played for the Spartans from 2021-24 and graduated from MSU last May, spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Grand Canyon University.
"We are thrilled to announce the hiring of Spartan Leila Raines as our assistant coach," Slobodnik-Stoll said. "Leila is an incredible and dynamic young woman who excelled at the highest level during her career at Michigan State, both in the classroom and on the golf course. Leila will be a wonderful asset to our student-athletes and our program in many ways and we look forward to having her back with us in East Lansing."
While in Arizona, Raines helped to guide the Lopes to seven top-5 finishes, including two team wins last year. The Lopes had four golfers earn All-Western Athletic Conference postseason honors, the most of any team in the league. Grand Canyon, ranked No. 79 in the NCAA rankings, finished in sixth place in the Western Athletic Conference tournament.
Raines, the first MSU player to compete in four-straight NCAA Championships, had a stellar career in the Green and White, finishing her career among the all-time leaders in program history.
She is the only Spartan to ever qualify for the NCAA Division I National Championship in all four years played, including once as an individual (2022) and three times with the team (2021, 2023-24).
During her playing career, she set the school record for the low 54-hole tournament score in program history, firing a 13-under par 203 (69-69-65) at the Moon Golf Invitational in 2023. As a senior in 2024, she set a program record for the low 54-hole score in an NCAA Regional (East Lansing), finishing in fourth place with a 6-under par 210 (73-68-69). In 2021, her 6-under par 66 at the Briar's Creek Invitational set a record for the lowest round ever by a freshman and in 2023, her third round 7-under par 65 at the Moon Golf Invitational is tied for the fourth-lowest round in program history.
Raines finished her career ranked sixth all-time in the Michigan State career scoring average books (73.87) and 10th on the best single season scoring average list (72.81) in 2023-24.
Her performances in tournaments made her one of the best Spartans in recent years, totaling five top-5 finishes, nine top-10 placements and 16 top-20 showings. She aided her team to a Big Ten Championship title in 2021 and was named to the All-Big Ten Championship Team in 2022.
Raines also excelled in the classroom, being named a four-time Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar, a four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient from 2021 to 2024 and earning recognition as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
A native of Galena, Ohio, graduated from Michigan State in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in public relations.
Raines, who played for the Spartans from 2021-24 and graduated from MSU last May, spent the 2024-25 season as an assistant coach at Grand Canyon University.
"We are thrilled to announce the hiring of Spartan Leila Raines as our assistant coach," Slobodnik-Stoll said. "Leila is an incredible and dynamic young woman who excelled at the highest level during her career at Michigan State, both in the classroom and on the golf course. Leila will be a wonderful asset to our student-athletes and our program in many ways and we look forward to having her back with us in East Lansing."
While in Arizona, Raines helped to guide the Lopes to seven top-5 finishes, including two team wins last year. The Lopes had four golfers earn All-Western Athletic Conference postseason honors, the most of any team in the league. Grand Canyon, ranked No. 79 in the NCAA rankings, finished in sixth place in the Western Athletic Conference tournament.
Raines, the first MSU player to compete in four-straight NCAA Championships, had a stellar career in the Green and White, finishing her career among the all-time leaders in program history.
She is the only Spartan to ever qualify for the NCAA Division I National Championship in all four years played, including once as an individual (2022) and three times with the team (2021, 2023-24).
During her playing career, she set the school record for the low 54-hole tournament score in program history, firing a 13-under par 203 (69-69-65) at the Moon Golf Invitational in 2023. As a senior in 2024, she set a program record for the low 54-hole score in an NCAA Regional (East Lansing), finishing in fourth place with a 6-under par 210 (73-68-69). In 2021, her 6-under par 66 at the Briar's Creek Invitational set a record for the lowest round ever by a freshman and in 2023, her third round 7-under par 65 at the Moon Golf Invitational is tied for the fourth-lowest round in program history.
Raines finished her career ranked sixth all-time in the Michigan State career scoring average books (73.87) and 10th on the best single season scoring average list (72.81) in 2023-24.
Her performances in tournaments made her one of the best Spartans in recent years, totaling five top-5 finishes, nine top-10 placements and 16 top-20 showings. She aided her team to a Big Ten Championship title in 2021 and was named to the All-Big Ten Championship Team in 2022.
Raines also excelled in the classroom, being named a four-time Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar, a four-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient from 2021 to 2024 and earning recognition as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
A native of Galena, Ohio, graduated from Michigan State in 2024 with a bachelor's degree in public relations.
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