ANDERSON, S.C.--Anderson University's Director of Golf Denton Moore has announced the upcoming fall schedules for both the men and women's golf programs.
Women's Golf
The women's team enters the season following a Final Four finish at the NCAA National Championships this spring, carrying the title of No. 1 in the national ranks for the entirety of the season. The Trojans earned five tournament titles across the season, along with three runner-up finishes. Following the record-breaking season, Anderson's full starting lineup earned All-South Atlantic Conference honors, with three named WGCA All-Americans and Moore named WGCA South Region Couch of the Year for the second-straight season.
"I am very excited about this upcoming season for the Women's program," said Moore. "We lost two of the best players to ever play here, Zoey Iglesias and Kennedy McGaha. They will both be very difficult to replace. However, we also return three of the best players to ever play here in Kennedy Gooding, Aly Francis, and Paige Paolucci. Those three bring back a wealth of experience with them, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament, three trips to the National Championship, two SAC Championships, a Regional Championship, and last year's trip to the Final 4."
"KG is a two-time All American and a three-time All SAC player. Aly just had her first year as an All-American last year, along with being a three-time All SAC player as well. Paige is coming off without a doubt her best season to date. She is a three-time All SAC player, who finished ranked in the top-50 as an individual nationally for the first time in her career as well. That core group of seniors is battle-tested and as good of a group as a coach could ask for. We also have Olivia Pellerin coming back who got a ton of experience as a freshman last year. She played in almost every event last season, was a top-150 player in the country, averaged 74.8 last season, and we have super high expectations for her this year. She is ready to come in and be a starter. Peyton O'Brien is also back as a sophomore. She got a lot of playing experience last year as an individual, and she also got much better throughout the year. She is certainly ready to start pushing for a lineup spot as well."
"We have four new incomers this year. Claudia Hastings is a senior transfer from Limestone who we are all very excited about. She is a top-70 player individually in the nation. She won the NCAA South Regional last year, which is just a massive accomplishment. She has three college wins under her belt and helped Limestone to a National Championship appearance in her sophomore year, as well as qualifying as an individual last year for the National Championship. She has so much experience, and we expect her to be a huge addition to our team."
"We have three freshmen coming in this year in Lillian McDermott, Olivia Roberts, and Josey Sweat. Lillian and Olivia are two of the highest ranked juniors we have ever signed. We expect both of them to come in immediately and contend for starting spots in the lineup. Both are very experienced in major junior golf tournaments as well as big-time amateur events. Olivia is coming off three-straight championships with her high school team, so she is used to winning. Josey is a bit of a late bloomer who we are very excited about. She is a super talented athlete that has tons of speed in her swing. She has no ceiling with how good she could get. We are very excited about what all three of them bring to the table."
Anderson opens the fall campaign Sept. 15-16 traveling to Tennessee as Lee University hosts the South Regional Preview. The tournament takes place at the Cleveland Country Club, a course the Trojans have learned the ropes of in recent years, finishing 2nd in the field the last three fall tournaments and winning the 2024 NCAA Regional Tournament by 19 strokes with a program-best 856(-8) team score.
In a new event for the Black and Gold, the Trojans will then make their first of two trips to Florida this fall, traveling to Gulfport for the EC Invite hosted by Eckerd College on Sept. 22-23.
Another staple of the women's schedule, AU will make the short trip to North Georgia on Oct. 13-14 for the 12th Annual LeeAnn Noble Memorial—the site of last year's record-breaking Trojan performance. Anderson topped the leaderboard last fall in Dahlonega, earning program-best 18-hole, 36-hole and 54-hole marks as a team, while rising senior Kennedy Gooding (Lexington, S.C.) broke the same three records as an individual.
AU will head back to Florida Oct. 20-21 for Saint Leo's home tournament. Last year in Dade City, the Trojans claimed the team and individual title, as rising senior Aly Francis (Stockbridge, Ga.) earned her first collegiate win with a 7-under individual performance to lead the Black and Gold to a 17-stroke victory.
Finally, Anderson will host the 2nd Annual DII Elite Invitational at Currahee Club on Oct. 28-29. The course also saw the Trojans bring home the hardware last season, as Anderson topped the field as a team with second and third-place individual performances from Gooding and Francis respectively.
"We are playing another extremely tough schedule this year. We will come right out of the gate with the NCAA South Regional Preview in Cleveland, TN where we will see one of the best fields we will play in all year. We have trips to GA, multiple trips to FL, and a schedule that will test these girls to the max. I can't wait to get them back in August and hopefully start another season that leads us back to the National Championship for the 5th consecutive season! Go Trojans!"
Men's Golf
The Trojans enter this season following back-to-back third-place team finishes at the SAC Championships. Last season was also highlighted by Anderson earning two individual bids to the NCAA Regional Tournament for recent graduates Simon Wright and Jamie Markwick.
"This season for the men has the potential to be very special," said Moore. "The men were so close to the postseason last year. We finished 11th in the region, only one spot away from making it to the NCAA Tournament. The losses of Simon Wright and Jamie Markwick are tough. Both guys made it to the NCAA Regional last year as individuals, which is pretty rare for one team to have two players make it as individuals. Simon and Jamie are two of the best to ever do it in the Black and Gold."
"We have some very experienced veterans returning in Luke Sullivan, Sam McMillan, Julian Daws, Can Gurdenli, and James Parsons. All five guys have tournament experience in the lineup. Sam and Luke have been starters for their entire careers, and we really believe they both are ready to step into the roles left by Jamie and Simon. They are both great leaders. Can and Julian have both started multiple times and shown real signs of greatness. If we can get them to step into more consistent roles this year, we have a chance to be really good. James Parsons is probably the most exciting returner we have coming back. As a freshman last year, he went through some typical freshman growing pains in his first semester. However, once he got into the starting lineup in the spring, he never left. He is a very exciting young player with a lot of talent. He has a chance to be the number 1 starter for us this year. If we can clean up his putting, there is no limit to how good he can be."
"We also have Matthew Morgan, Graham Boone, Andrew Charrier, Brooks DeShields, and Cade Hagan coming back. All five guys made serious strides in their games last year and are ready to start contending for a starting role this year in the lineup."
"We have four newcomers coming into the program. We are very excited about Beau Lewis who is transferring from Presbyterian. We loved Beau in the recruiting process and went after him pretty hard. We are very excited he ended up back here at home with us in Anderson. He started and played in 9 of 10 events for PC last year, so he is bringing in a lot of college experience in tournament golf. We expect him to compete for a starting spot immediately."
"We have three freshmen coming in with Caden Olsommer, Hugh Faulkner, and Lucas Turner. There may not be a hotter junior right now than Caden Olsommer. He has had an incredible summer and is also a member of the three-time state championship T.L. Hanna Yellow Jackets. We have really high expectations for him. Hugh Faulkner is one of the most decorated junior golfers we have ever signed. He has played a ton of big-time junior golf in his career. He is a name you just consistently see all the time at the top of leaderboards and is no stranger to the big stage. Lucas Turner is somewhat of a late bloomer, but he has found himself with an incredible summer as well. He is no longer learning. He is ready to play now, we just have to see how all three freshmen translate to the college game, and how quickly they can be ready. We expect all three of them to contend for starting spots immediately."
Anderson kicks off the fall with a brief commute to McCormick for Lander's Fall Invitational on Sept. 8-9. The Trojans finished 10 of 19 teams at the tournament last fall.
The Trojans will then compete in three-straight Georgia-based events, first traveling to Gainesville on Sept. 15-16 for North Georgia's home tournament. Last year, the Trojans earned an 11th-place finish at the Chattahoochee Golf Club.
The following week, AU will head to Georgia Southwestern's Hurricane Invite in Albany—the site of the Trojans' best performance last year. AU finished 4th of 15 teams with a 13-under team score, good for the fifth-best 54-hole mark in program history.
Anderson will open October hosting the Currahee Collegiate Invite, before concluding the fall season with a brand new event—the Intercollegiate at Nemacolin hosted by Findlay in Pennsylvania on Oct. 20-21.
"We will again this year be playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation. That is just how it is for both the men and women at Anderson University. The South Region is by far the best region in the country, so we see the best of the best every time we tee it up. All five of our fall events are big-time events with big-time fields. We will certainly be a little young, but we are so excited to get these guys back in August. This team is ready to go to the postseason. We just have to keep them focused and not get too high or low. It is a grind in this region. We can't wait to get started, Go Trojans!"
