Both South Carolina golf teams used strong performances at their respective NCAA Championships to shatter program records.
The men’s golf team pulled in an 846 ( 6) score over 54 holes at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas, which was good enough to land them a ninth-place finish.
Ahead of the Gamecocks in the rankings were the SMU and Illinois men’s golf teams, which tied for seventh place with an 845 score. South Carolina’s finish landed them on the outside of match play by one stroke. At the NCAA Championships, the top eight teams advance to match play, while the rest are eliminated from the tournament.
“Great group of kids,” head coach Bill McDonald said. “It’s been an awesome experience with them this year. We’ll take this experience and build on it and hopefully have an opportunity next year.”
Fueled by a third-round run by freshman Ben Dietrich, South Carolina nearly broke into group play, but saw their comeback fall just short. Dietrich shot two birdies and an eagle on the back nine, finishing with an individual tournament-best 68.
South Carolina will return each golfer from the tournament, and will feature a new crop of freshmen for next year.
“It’s going in the right direction, for sure,” McDonald said of South Carolina’s future. “I think today was a great experience for them.”
The school’s women’s golf team also turned in a record performance, finishing with a 1,164 ( 44) score at the Tulsa Country Club, which is a new program record for a 72-hole score.
South Carolina also shot 281 over the final round that proved to be their lowest round of tournament play. It also matched the fourth-lowest 18-hole score in school history.
“I was really proud of how they battled back,” head coach Kalen Harris said. “One shot off of the top 10, and I’m really proud of the season they had. It’s our best season in Gamecocks history and they have been an incredible group.”
Unlike the men’s golf team, the women’s team will lose two seniors to graduation. One senior is Samantha Swinehart, who carried the South Carolina team with a 72-hole score of 284, also a new school record. Swinehart’s tournament score tied her for 13th place. Her third round score (68) and her final round score (67) were the lowest on the team, respectively.
Senior Suzie Lee, who also competed for the last time as a Gamecock, finished 15 over par, which placed her tied for 67th place. Her mark of 295 was good enough to earn her best finish at an NCAA Championship.
Junior Justine Dreher finished one stroke behind teammate Lee, turning in a 296 ( 16) score.
The Gamecocks’ two underclassmen didn’t finish much farther back in the rankings, as freshman Katelyn Dambaugh and sophomore Sarah Schmelzel each recorded scores of 298 ( 18).
Similar to men’s golf coach McDonald, Harris echoed the same pride in her players that McDonald expressed about his.
“We finished off the year not exactly how we hoped, but they really came back and I’m really proud of the season we had,” Harris said.