The Piedmont’s men’s golf team walked away with a CCS championship last season. Freshman Doug Gugel and senior Eric Penland led the way to the championship, finishing second and third. Unfortunately, the Lions did not get an automatic bid to the National Championship last season due to conference ineligibility and an insufficient ranking. The CCS now has two years under its belt, allowing eligibility for an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. The Lions look to repeat this success in their upcoming spring season, hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament field.
“I think the team, and the upperclassmen in particular, have been really good about filling the roles the seniors held on the team last year,” said Gugel, now a sophomore. “[They] have really stepped up to make the golf team what it was last year.”
The team will have to find success without the services of recently graduated leaders: Penland and Josh Hebrink. Gugel seeks to help fill his role and lead the team. Back in the fall, leaders such as junior Adam Rogers, who had an outstanding year last year, stepped up to guide the team. Rogers averaged a score of 72.67 in 12 rounds to kick off the 2024-2025 season.
Another standout from this past fall was senior Cam Lucas who led the team with a 72.14 round average in seven rounds.
On the women’s side, the Lions have finished third place in the USA South Championship the past three seasons, and look to break that curse this year. The reigning individual conference champion, Erin Donovan, prepares for her junior season after a historical sophomore year. After winning the USA South individually last season, Donovan went on to tie for 11th at the Division III National Championship.
“We try so hard to beat other teams, rather than going into the championship with the mindset of playing our game,” said Donovan about the conference chase. “This year we really need to go into this with confidence.
The Lions have just four returners this year which includes Donovan, senior Sarah Fox, sophomore Keegan Goins and senior Abby Evans. Donovan is picking up right where she left off with an eight under par performance in Montgomery, Alabama back in the fall. Goins is also improving, where she led the team in the Joe and Lee Invitational, shooting eight over par. The team’s only loss was Shelby Clark, who transferred this past offseason. Freshman Marissa Weaver closes out the small roster of five girls on the Piedmont team.
The men’s team is aiming for back-to-back CCS titles, starting with the Savannah Invitational on March 3. The women’s team is looking to work their way back to the top of the USA South this season, opening up their season in Savannah at the South Georgia Invitational on March 10.
