Montalban to Receive Katy Christiansen Scholarship (May 6, 2005)

BILLINGS, MT – Local golf supporter Nels Christiansen and his family will present Montana State-Billings golfer Halley Montalban with the first “Katy Christiansen Junior Golf Scholarship” on Monday, May 9.  The presentation will take place in the main lobby of the MSU Billings Physical Education Building at 4:00 p.m.  Presenting the scholarship along with Nels will be his daughters Jackie and Lea Ann along with Lea Ann’s husband, Tom Caudle.

The $1,000 scholarship—which is being awarded for the first time by the Christiansen family—was created in memory of Katy Christiansen who passed away on September 2, 2003.  Katy’s husband Nels is a longtime golf supporter who taught and coached at MSU Billings for 35 years.  He is in the Yellowjacket Hall of Fame and Distinction and still volunteers as the official scorer at Lady Yellowjacket basketball games.

Youth golf coaches from around the area were able to nominate student-athletes for the scholarship, and the Christiansen family selected Montalban is its first recipient of the scholarship.  Montalban, a freshman who graduated from Billings Senior High School in 2004, was the Lady Jackets’ top player this season.  She earned first team all-conference honors after placing second at the PacWest Conference Championships and was named the Yellowjackets’ team MVP.

"Katy was an integral part of the Junior Golf program since its inception in the 1980s,” said Nels Christiansen.  “She watched the golfers in the program grow year after year and took great pride in their successes.  She would be very pleased with the decision for the first one to go to Halley."