Men’s Golf
The Piedmont men’s golf team will start their season at the Savannah Harbor Invitational on March 5 and 6. Last spring at the Savannah Harbor, they finished third, just 8 strokes behind first-place Emory.
After losing seniors Fred Roberts IV, Matt Ariza and graduate student Ben Huber, who all competed at the national level in May 2023, the Lions continued to score well throughout the fall.
The Lions are prepared to carry that energy into the spring season, looking to outdo last spring’s NCAA Division III Championship performance with a combination of new and familiar faces.
In the offseason, Dustin Meadows became the Lions’ head coach, entrusted with leading the team to a Collegiate Conference of the South championship after falling to Huntingdon last spring. Meadows is in his sixth season of collegiate coaching and is coming into a program with veteran talent.
The returning golfers include juniors Ryan Colwell, Cam Lucas, Connor Lane and Kayden White, along with sophomore Adam Rogers.
The senior returners cast a heavy impact last spring and look to do the same this year. The two seniors are Josh Hebrink, who is the reigning NCAA Division III individual national champion, and Eric Penland, who also competed in the national championship.
“I am looking forward to competing against all these teams again,” said Penland. “We have a lot to prove this spring season, and I believe we are saving our best golf upcoming this spring.”
The Lions will compete in five events before the CCS championship and the NCAA Division III Championship. This will be their second year competing in the CCS, and the Lions will look for better after a second-place finish in the inaugural championship tournament.
“We certainly have the talent to get back in contention at nationals,” said Penland. “As long as we keep fighting and playing our own games, there’s no doubt we will have a chance to compete coming down the stretch.”
The Lions are set to open up their season the Tuesday and Wednesday before spring break in Savannah, Georgia.
Women’s Golf
The Piedmont women’s golf team is set to compete in their first event of the spring at the Music City Showdown this upcoming Monday and Tuesday.
Back in late October, the Lady Lions finished third overall in the Chick-fil-A Invitational to wrap up the fall season, just one stroke behind second-place Christopher Newport University.
The Lady Lions consist of five competitors for this season: freshmen Shelby Clark and Keegan Goins, sophomore Erin Donovan, and juniors Abigail Evans and Sarah Fox.
“My goal for conference this year is to finish in the top five and help my team win a conference tournament,” said Fox, who carded five rounds in the 70’s last spring season. “I definitely think we have the talent on this team to make it happen.”
The Lady Lions will compete in four events this spring prior to the three-day USA South conference championship in late April.
A favorite event amongst the girls is the Savannah Invitational in Savannah, Georgia, on March 11 and 12. This 36-hole event falls at the start of Piedmont’s week off classes for spring break.
“Savannah is my favorite tournament because it’s the first time in the spring semester we experience warm weather,” said Fox. “The course is always in great condition, so there are some good scoring opportunities out there.”
Piedmont women’s golf is preparing for the 2024 season now, teeing off in Springfield, Tennessee on March 2 and 3.
Follow along with both golf teams’ seasons and more athletics at piedmontlions.com
