MHS boys golf’s Anna Deshautelle awarded Coach of the Year
By McKenzie Jackson · Sun Jul 19 2026
Veteran Sharks coach earns league recognition after leading Malibu to a third consecutive league championship
The toughest part of Malibu High boys golf coach Anna Deshautelle’s job this season wasn’t guiding the squad to a third straight Citrus Coast League title. Instead, it was driving the team bus to and from matches far and wide.
“That can be stressful,” Deshautelle said. “Especially on those crazy roads in Ojai when it’s dark. By the time you are finished playing, you are driving through the wilderness with no streetlights.”
Deshautelle, also a special education teacher at Malibu High, adores stepping onto the course with the Sharks, though.
“I love coaching,” she said. “Working with the kids lets me see a side of them than you might not see at school. Not everybody is a school person. For some people, school really isn’t for them, but they are good at a sport, or good at acting or music. You get to see a whole different side of a kid’s personality when you coach.”
Deshautelle coached the Sharks to their third consecutive Citrus Coast League title in April. For her coaching efforts, she was named the Citrus Coast League Coach of the Year in June.
Deshautelle, who has won the accolade before, was happy to claim it again.
“It’s a nice award to get,” she said. “The team and the parents and everyone are just so supportive. It’s a nice group of kids. It’s a good dynamic on the team.”
Malibu went 6-0 in the league with Deshautelle at the helm. However, she is prouder that the Sharks were considered a gracious bunch by everyone they met on the course.
“I got a lot of compliments from other coaches, who said, ‘Oh, you’re the Malibu coach. Your team is so respectful and nice,’” she said. “It’s very important to represent Malibu well. Them being known as a nice and respectful group of young guys is the biggest coaching success.”
The coach added that building character in the student-athletes is important.
“You want them to do their best and give 100% effort, and maximize their individual potential,” Deshautelle added.
Teaching golf this season, she said, was easier because Sharks players have their own swing coaches.
“They already have that time with another coach who is working on the more technical aspects of their game,” Deshautelle explained. “We have a team practice where we go and play a practice round. That is how we determine the rating and who will be the top six for the next event.”
Deshautelle has coached Malibu’s boys and girls golf teams for a few years now. She coached Malibu’s girls basketball team when she arrived at the school in 1998. Previously, she coached basketball and cross country at Brentwood School,and then Chadwick School, while teaching at Mark Twain Elementary School. Deshautelle taught at San Gabriel High School before she began coaching.
She said coaching and teaching both center on relationships.
“Whether that be in the classroom, on the golf course, or in the van to and from the matches,” Deshautelle said. “It’s all about relationships and being an adult, the kids can feel comfortable with. They know I’m not going to criticize them for not having a good day on the golf course. Golf is a very challenging and frustrating sport, so if one of them has a really bad round, I’m there to support them and let them know that doesn’t determine their worth as a person.”
Deshautelle enjoys coaching golf.
“They are a very spirited group, especially in the van,” she said. “They bring their own speaker — which is a very loud speaker. We have a couple of DJs on the team. They like to play their music really loud.”
“It’s been fun,” Deshautelle added. “It has worked out for the best.”