ANDERSON, S.C. — The Anderson University women's golf team capped a memorable three days of competition by finishing tied for third place at the NCAA Division II South Regional, held May 4–6, 2026, earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Ranked third nationally entering the regional, the Trojans posted a three-round team score of +45 (rounds of +14, +19, and +12) across the 54-hole stroke play event, tying with Barry University for third place in the 18-team field. Anderson separated themselves from the pack with a strong final-round showing of +12, their best round of the tournament.
"Sometimes there just aren't words for a performance," said director of golf Denton Moore. "I had a hard time telling the girls how proud I was, and celebrating last night, because I honestly just couldn't believe what had just unfolded."
"The course setup was without a doubt the hardest I have ever coached in 10 years. The greens were outrageously firm, to where at times we were trying to miss greens short on purpose. The wind was whipping 15-20 mph pretty much the entire second day. It was hard to judge anything."
Wingate University claimed the regional championship with a team total of +30, followed by the University of Tampa in second at +38. Anderson and Barry both finished at +45, with the top four teams advancing to the national championship.
Individually, Kennedy Gooding led Anderson with a three-round total of +8, finishing tied for 12th in a field of more than 90 players. Gooding carded rounds of +5, +1, and +2, with her steady back-nine play proving pivotal to the team's overall effort. Aly Francis finished tied for 21st at +12 (rounds of +4, +6, +2), while Olivia Roberts placed tied for 26th at +13 (+5, +6, +2). Olivia Pellerin finished tied for 33rd at +15, and Paige Paolucci also tied for 33rd at +15 (+3, +6, +6).
"I am just so proud of all of them. We got off to a tough start the first round. But, we closed that round well and put ourselves in third. The second round the conditions were brutal, and we played pretty poorly. We were in 8th place, and in this region, the toughest in the country, nothing is going to be handed back to you. I told them all I need the absolute best 18 holes of the year, and then the third round started. The best round of the year is exactly what we got, and now we are Natty Bound again! We will head to PGA National in Florida this weekend. It will be one of, if not the toughest test the girls have ever seen. I can't wait to get down there with this team and go to work!"
"Last, but most important, Kennedy McGaha was an absolute stud coaching this week. I trust her to the highest regard. I had her placed on some of the toughest holes, and she did a phenomenal job. We wouldn't be here without her. I absolutely love this team! Go Trojans!
