By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

College of the Canyons standout Motoko Shimoji, who helped the Lady Cougars win the 3C2A State Championship last fall, will continue her career at California State University, Fresno after committing to the Bulldogs program.

Fresno State is an NCAA Division I program. The Bulldogs compete in the Mountain West Conference.

Shimoji has enrolled at the university for the spring 2024 semester and is expected to begin competition in the fall. She is the first member of the college’s 2023 3C2A Women’s Golf State Championship team to commit to a four-year program.

Arriving at COC by way of Greater Atlanta Christian School in Norcross, Georgia, Shimoji enjoyed a stellar two-year run with the Canyons program.

In addition to winning the 2023 state championship, the program’s fifth overall, Canyons also finished second in the state tourney’s team standings in 2022.

Shimoji was a two-time All-State Team selection based on her play at the state championship tournament.

In both 2022 and 2023 she finished runner-up to the 3C2A Individual State Champion.

Last season, she ended the event one stroke off the mark to settle for runner-up accolades. In 2022, Shimoji tied for the individual title but was awarded second place after a card-off was used to break a tie atop the standings. Her opening-round score was one stroke behind the eventual state champion.

She was also an All-Western State Conference (WSC) selection in both of her seasons at COC and finished runner-up to the individual conference title as a sophomore. The Lady Cougars brought home WSC championships in both 2022 and 2023, the program’s 11th and 12th such titles.