Once a Zag, always a Zag.
That's true of Victoria Fallgren-Murphy, who has been involved with the women's golf program at Gonzaga University since she first arrived in Spokane from Lakewood, Calif. as a student athlete in 2009.
In June 2026, Fallgren-Murphy was elevated to the Bulldogs' head coach, after having served since 2013 as an assistant coach under longtime leader Brad Rickel.
Victoria’s (right) experience as a player and longtime assistant coach has created a strong foundation of trust as she begins her first full season as women’s head coach at Gonzaga.
The resonation of Victoria's name in the region goes further than just coaching. During her own playing career at Gonzaga, she scored two individual tournament wins, 10 top five finishes and 18 top 10 finishes. Victoria is also a six-time WA Golf champion and three-time WA Golf Women's Mid-Amateur Player of the Year (2017, 2018, 2020). She then left amateur competition to enter the PGA Associate program, to enhance her skills as a golf coach.
"If you had said to freshman-year-Victoria 17 years ago that I would one day be head coach, my younger self probably would have been surprised," Victoria said. "It's really meaningful for me to have this full-circle moment."
Already familiar with the program and team, perhaps more than anyone else, Victoria plans to employ similar coaching tactics as her predecessor, who fronted the program for 20 seasons over two stints. The new coach wants to continue building player relationships that are built to last while trusting them to trust themselves, as she and Rickel set out to do.
"He's been the voice in my ear as far as who I am as a coach," Victoria said of Rickel. "I think we were able to cultivate such a long-standing relationship because we had really similar coaching philosophies at our core, on finding the balance between encouraging independence while also being there for our players."
Being a former player is only just another way by which Victoria is a coaching commodity, and someone who can uniquely connect with her players.
After playing at Gonzaga, Fallgren-Murphy continued to compete in state and regional championships while serving as assistant coach at Gonzaga. She was named WA Golf’s Women’s Mid-Amateur Player of the Year three times.
"I reference my experience as a player quite a bit," she says about the perspective she has, even if the role of a student athlete has evolved quite a bit. "Golf is still golf."
Additionally, the word "community" has carried a meaning of considerable depth in Victoria's decade-and-a-half-plus with the program. It's what substantially contributed to what was a great college playing experience for herself, something she only hopes to replicate for any player under her watch these days as head coach.
"The community is so strong and supportive," Victoria says. "It's something you feel immediately once you step on campus. Getting to surround myself with young people that are experiencing independence and growth and figuring out who they are, I think that's a big part of why I wanted to stay for so long.”
In just the past few years, Victoria got married and she and her husband Conor, a civil engineer, now have a son, Bodhi. Victoria played nine holes the morning her water broke (she shot even par), with her son born later that day.
“I am lucky enough to have an amazing support system to help with our son,” she says. “He has four grandparents in town and we are so blessed to have our village. My husband is incredibly encouraging of my role and loves being a resource offering help to my team with their math homework, or going to the Gonzaga Athletics Senior Networking Social to help seniors learn how to network in professional settings.”
Victoria says she now feels the pieces are now in place for her to commit to her new role.
"I've been here since I was 17. I'm a lifer through and through. I was educated here, I got married here, my son got baptized here. I don't take lightly the stewardship and responsibility to my players, or the trust they're putting in me."
As of the past two years, at least some evidence exists to support a lasting effect of the program. Spring 2026 alumna Grace Lee has won each of the previous two Washington Women's Amateur championships and will attempt a professional career, while Jessica Mangrobang – a 2021 grad – won the 2025 PNGA Women's Mid-Amateur and placed second in the same championship this year.
Perhaps it's also why Rickel lent 20 years to Gonzaga and continues to make himself available to the fledgling head coach, too, even throughout what has been a fast-moving summer.
"His house is on our nightly walking route with my husband, my dog and my son, so we still see him constantly," Victoria said, noting she tries to reach out only when necessary. "It is nice knowing that I have such a resource to lean on whenever I need it."
As an assistant, Victoria contributed to Gonzaga making a few unprecedented strides, such as NCAA Playoff appearances. Now, as the university enters a new era as the newest member of the revitalized Pac-12 conference, this year's Bulldogs can hardly wait a second longer.
"We're as ready as we can be after a summer of everyone being home," she said. "Super bright things ahead for us."
