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College of the Canyons

Canyons Golf Programs Transfer Three to Next Level

Three College of the Canyons golf student-athletes pose with state championship trophies in front of the college’s 'Athletic Hall of Fame' display, flanked by blue, white, and gold balloon columns. A digital podium in the foreground shows college athletic logos, including College of the Canyons.
June 22, 2026

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

The College of the Canyons men's and women's golf programs saw a combined three players commit to four-year schools to round out the 2025-26 academic year.

COC women's golf standout Sahya Kitabatake has signed with CSU, Bakersfield. The Roadrunners are an NCAA Division I program.

Kitabatake won an individual 3C2A State Championship with the Cougars as a freshman in 2024 before finishing runner-up at the state championship as a sophomore in 2025.

Those performances earned Kitabatake consecutive All-State Team honors. The Kobe, Japan native was also a two-time Western State Conference (WSC) Player of the Year.

In 2025, Kitabatake won the individual 3C2A Southern California Regional Championship before settling for runner-up status at the state tourney, following a card-off that was brought about by unplayable weather conditions on the course at Alisal Ranch. As a team, Canyons finished fourth at the state championships that year.

COC men's team players Anthony Nilson and Arnaud Bouhaniche are also headed to NCAA Division I programs. Nilson signed with CSU, East Bay, while Bouhaniche will next attend San Jose State University.

Nilson was a member of the Cougars' back-to-back 3C2A state championship teams in 2025 and 2026. As a sophomore, Nilson also won the 3C2A Individual State Championship, becoming just the fifth player in program history to do so. 

Earlier in the year Nilson was named the individual Western State Conference (WSC) champion, in addition to earning All-WSC honors, after leading the conference with 720 strokes through 10 tournaments. He was named the tourney medalist on three occasions, including at the WSC finals, as Canyons won its 15th straight conference title.

Bouhaniche was an All-WSC selection in 2026 after finishing sixth in the season-long individual player standings.

The freshman from Cannes, France was also named to the 3C2A All-State team following a sixth-place individual result at the State Championship tournament.

Both Nilson and Bouhaniche were instrumental in helping Canyons win a third straight 3C2A state title in 2026, the program's 13th overall.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.  

—Photo by Mari Kneisel/COC Sports Information