Radford Wins 2025 Big South Women's Golf Championship
FRIPP ISLAND, S.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – One day after recording its highest finish in the stroke play portion of the Big South Women's Golf Championship since 2015,
Radford won the conference’s match play title Wednesday with a 3-1 victory over
Charleston Southern to earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals. The Highlanders claimed their first-ever Big South Women’s Golf crown and will compete in the NCAA Regionals for the first time in program history.
Radford won the first two points when Grace Addison defeated Eugenie Varet, 3&2, in the first match, and Caroline Gilreath won 4&3 in the second match over Paige Zolciak. Charleston Southern cut the deficit to 2-1 when Isabella Galla scored a 4&3 win over Hannah Lindemann in the fifth match.
While Charleston Southern’s Katie Stephens was 1UP over Radford’s Macy Johnson with one hole to play in match four, match three of Radford’s Shea Smith vs. CSU’s Odette Font Garcia would be the eventual clincher. Smith was down as much as three holes before reducing her deficit to one after hole 11. Garcia maintained a 1UP advantage before Smith tied the match on hole 16. It was all square after 17 holes, and Smith took her only lead when she drained an eight-foot putt on the par-5 18th for the victory.
Competing in the Big South Championship Match Play portion for the first time since the format was added in 2021, Radford defeated No. 2 seed High Point, 3-1, in the morning Semifinals. After High Point won match two for a 1-0 lead, the Highlanders scored three-straight wins when Addison won 5&4 in match one over Savannah Cherry, Smith won 5&4 over Julia McLaughlin in match four, and Johnson clinched the match with a 2&1 triumph in match three.
Charleston Southern defeated No. 4 seed UNC Asheville, 3-2, in which the Bucs opened up a 2-0 lead before the Bulldogs tied the match at 2-2 with wins in matches four and five. CSU’s Galla was the difference, as she prevailed in 24 holes over Asheville’s Beryl Giletti in match two and send the Bucs to their second consecutive championship match.
Match Play Results - Finals
#3 Radford defeats #1 Charleston Southern, 3-1
Order of finish:
Match 1 - Grace Addison (RAD) defeats Eugenie Varet (CSU), 3&2 (RAD leads 1-0)
Match 2 - Caroline Gilreath (RAD) defeats Paige Zolciak (CSU), 4&3 (RAD leads 2-0)
Match 5 - Isabella Galla (CSU) defeats Hannah Lindemann (RAD), 4&3 (RAD leads 2-1)
Match 3 - Shea Smith (RAD) defeats Odette Font Garcia (CSU), 1UP (RAD wins 3-1)
Match 4 - Katie Stephens (CSU) vs. Macy Johnson (RAD), 1UP thru 17 (unfinished)
Match Play Results - Semifinals
#1 Charleston Southern defeats #4 UNC Asheville, 3-2
Order of finish:
Match 3 – Katie Stephens (CSU) defeats Ally Kerr (AVL), 7&6 (CSU leads 1-0)
Match 1 – Eugenie Varet (CSU) defeats Claudia Salvador (AVL), 2&1 (CSU leads 2-0)
Match 4 – Morgan Guepet (AVL) defeats Paige Zolciak (CSU), 4&3 (CSU leads 2-1)
Match 5 – Caroline Patterson (AVL) defeats Odette Font Garcia (CSU), 3&2 (match tied 2-2)
Match 2 – Isabella Galla (CSU) defeats Beryl Giletti (AVL), 24 holes (CSU wins 3-2)
#3 Radford defeats #2 High Point, 3-1
Order of finish:
Match 2 – Anna Howerton (HPU) defeats Caroline Gilreath (RAD), 8&7 (HPU leads 1-0)
Match 1 – Grace Addison (RAD) defeats Savannah Cherry (HPU), 5&4 (match tied 1-1)
Match 4 – Shea Smith (RAD) defeats Julia McLaughlin (HPU), 5&4 (RAD leads 2-1)
Match 3 – Macy Johnson (RAD) defeats Anaïs Arafi (HPU), 2-1 (RAD wins 3-1)
Match 5 – Ella Perna (HPU) vs. Hannah Lindemann (RAD), 1UP thru 15, unfinished