LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Southwestern University’s Marisa Mauldin and Centenary College’s Jessica Varner highlight an impressive list of 15 past standouts named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference’s 30th Anniversary women’s golf team.
Mauldin and Varner were elected to this elite squad as the only multiple time Golfers-of-the-Year over the last 15 years, as the two combined to win the honor five occasions and earned First Team All-SCAC accolades a total of six times.
Among current members, Southwestern University led the way with four student-athletes selected to the exclusive team. Centenary College and Trinity University followed with two members each and Schreiner University and Texas Lutheran University each had one representative named to the squad. DePauw University led former league members with two selections and Centre College, Oglethorpe University and Rhodes College had one selection each.
The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will be announcing 30th Anniversary teams in 19 sports throughout the 2020-21 academic year. The league selected 15th Anniversary teams during the 2005-06 academic year – those selections can be found here.
The SCAC's 30th Anniversary teams were selected by present coaches, administrators and/or conference office personnel. Athletes who participated in conference competition between the fall of 2005 through the spring of 2020 and had been named to at least two All-SCAC teams and/or were a selected as a Player-of-the-Year in their respective sport were eligible for selection.
Southwestern’s Mauldin is one of just two athletes in SCAC women’s golf history to earn Golfer-of-the-Year three times in a career, winning the award three-straight years from 2007-2009. A four-time All-SCAC performer, she is also one of just two athletes to capture medalist honors at three-straight conference championships, winning from 2007-2009. Her 54-hole score at the 2009 championship of 233 (77-75-81) is the second lowest total in SCAC history, while her winning score of 236 (78-76-82) at the 2008 championship is still tied for the sixth lowest in conference history. Mauldin is one of just five golfers in SCAC history to fire multiple rounds in the 70s at two different championships and her final round of 77 at the 2007 championship is still tied for the 14th lowest final round in league history. A three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American, including twice a First Team recipient in 2008 and 2009, Mauldin’s five total rounds in the 70s at the SCAC Championships is tied for the most all-time in league history. She closed out her career with her best individual finish at the NCAA Championships, when she finished third in 2009.
The 2017 and 2018 SCAC Golfer-of-the-Year, Varner is one of just five athletes in conference history to earn the honor multiple times in a career. A three-time First Team All-SCAC performer, she won medalist honors in 2017 at Vaaler Creek Golf Club in Blanco, Texas, when she fired a two-round total of 154 (75-79). Varner holds three of the top 14 lowest 36-hole championship totals in SCAC history, while her 2017 medalist performance still ranks tied for the fourth lowest all-time. The former Centenary standout is one of just five golfers in SCAC history to fire multiple rounds in the 70s at two different championships and her final round of 76 at the 2016 championship is still tied for the fourth lowest final round in league history. Varner’s five total rounds in the 70s at the SCAC Championships is tied with Mauldin for the most all-time in league history.
SCAC WOMEN’S GOLF – 30TH ANNIVERSARY TEAM
Emily Bachert – Centre College
Kaycee Bankert – Schreiner University
Lauren Boone – Southwestern University
Kristen Davenport – Southwestern University
Shelby DeVore – Trinity University
Julia Gates – Oglethorpe University
Paige Gooch – DePauw University
Brigette Lee – Trinity University
Marisa Mauldin – Southwestern University
Leilani McDaniel – Southwestern University
Stephanie Mingos – Rhodes College
Ali Murtaugh – DePauw University
Summer Swift – Texas Lutheran University
Jessica Varner – Centenary College
Jamie Wright – Centenary College
An additional seven previous Golfers-of-the-Year join Mauldin and Varner on the all-anniversary team, including Emily Bachert of Centre, Kaycee Bankert of Schreiner, Lauren Boone of Southwestern, Paige Gooch of DePauw, Brigette Lee of Trinity, Leilani McDaniel of Southwestern and Stephanie Mingos of Rhodes.
A three-time WGCA First Team All-American (2010-2012), Centre’s Bachert earned SCAC Golfer-of-the-Year in 2012 after securing medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 228 (74-77-77) at The Links at Cottonwoods in Tunica, Mississippi. She is one of just two golfers in league history to fire three rounds in the 70s at the same championship and her winning score is the lowest 54-hole total in SCAC history. Her six-stroke victory is tied for the second largest margin of victory in SCAC history as she led the Colonels to the team title with a 54-hole team record score of 946. A four-time All-SCAC performer, she is a three-time First Team honoree, one of just 16 golfers in league history to accomplish that achievement. Her four career rounds in the 70s at the SCAC Championships is tied for third all-time in league history.
Bankert, a four-time All-SCAC selection and one of 16 golfers in conference history to secure First Team accolades three times, earned Golfer-of-the-Year honors in 2016 at Vaaler Creek Golf Club. She won medalist honors after firing a two-round total of 153 (76-77), the third lowest 36-hole total in SCAC history. Her final round of 77 is tied for the 14th best final round in conference history. In 2015 she finished second en route to leading Schreiner to the program’s only SCAC Championship and capped off her career with her second runner-up finish in 2017 as a senior. During her tenure in Kerrville, her four rounds in the 70s at the SCAC Championships is tied for third all-time in league history.
Boone of Southwestern, a two-time All-SCAC performer, captured Golfer-of-the-Year honors at the 2015 SCAC Championships held at Vaaler Creek Golf Club. Her two-round total of 161 (87-74) is tied for the 26th lowest score in SCAC Championship history, while her final round 74 is the second lowest final round score in conference history as she erased a 10-stroke deficit to win medalist honors by a single stroke. Boone was a member of the Pirates’ 2013 SCAC Championship winning squad.
Gooch made a substantial impact in her only year in the SCAC before DePauw left the league following the 2010-11 academic year. She became the first-ever golfer to win both SCAC Freshman-of-the-Year and Golfer-of-the-Year in the same season after she won medalist honors at the 2011 championship held at Horseshoe Bay Resort’s Apple Rock Course in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. Gooch fired a 54-hole total of 235 (77-77-81) for a three-stroke victory as she posted the second lowest three-round championship total in conference history at the time and a total that remains tied for the fourth lowest all-time. On the national level, Gooch was named the WGCA Division III Freshman-of-the-Year on her way to earning Second Team All-American honors and helped DePauw finish fifth at the Division III National Championship after placing tied for 14th individually.
Trinity’s Lee burst onto the scene when she became just the second golfer in league history to win both Freshman-of-the-Year and Golfer-of-the-Year in the same season when she claimed medalist honors at the 2013 championships at Southern Trace Country Club in Shreveport, Louisiana. Trailing by two shots heading into the final round, she fired a 79 to secure a one-stroke victory with a two-day total of 162 (83-79). A four-time All-SCAC performer, she also earned First Team as a sophomore in 2014 when she finished third with a two-round score of 159 (79-80). Her two-round total of 159 is tied for the 19th lowest score in SCAC Championship history for 36-holes. One of just three golfers in SCAC history to win both FOTY and GOTY in their career, Lee was a member of three conference championship teams during her tenure in San Antonio.
Southwestern’s McDaniel is one of just three golfers in league history to win SCAC Freshman-of-the-Year and Golfer-of-the-Year honors during a career. A three-time All-SCAC performer, including twice a First Team honoree, she earned FOTY in 2017 and GOTY in 2019. Her best individual performance came at the 2018 championships when she finished tied for first after firing a 156 (77-79) before eventually just missing out on medalist honors to 30th anniversary team member and TLU’s Summer Swift on the first playoff hole. McDaniel is one of just five golfers in league history to fire multiple rounds in the 70s at two different championships (2018, 2019) and her four total rounds in the 70s at the SCAC Championships is tied for third all-time in league history. She was a member of two conference championship teams during her career as a Pirate.
A four-time WGCA All-American, receiving Second Team accolades in both 2009 and 2011, Rhodes’ Mingos earned SCAC Golfer-of-the-Year in 2010 after securing medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 236 (79-81-76) at Stonemont Golf Course in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Her six-stroke victory is still tied for the second largest margin of victory in SCAC history and her final round of 76 is tied for the fourth lowest final round in league history. A four-time All-SCAC performer, she is one of just 16 golfers in league history to earn First Team three times during a career. One of just five golfers in conference history to fire multiple rounds in the 70s at two different championships, her four total rounds in the 70s at the SCAC Championships is tied for third all-time in league history.
Additionally, Kristen Davenport of Southwestern, Julia Gates of Oglethorpe and Ali Murtaugh of DePauw earned All-SCAC honors on four separate occasions during their careers and received all-anniversary recognition.
The 2010 runner-up, Southwestern’s Davenport was a four-time All-SCAC performer which included a second First Team honor when she finished fifth in 2009. At the 2010 championship on the Stonemont Golf Course, she fired a three-round total of 242 (80-83-79) – a score that is tied for the 14th lowest 54-hole total in SCAC history. A two-time WGCA All-American highlighted by her First Team nod in 2010, she was a member of three conference championships during her career, including the 2009 title when the Pirates won by a 54-hole SCAC record of 72 strokes.
Gates was a four-time All-SCAC performer during her stellar career at Oglethorpe, including First Team accolades as a senior in 2008. She finished fifth after posting a three-round total of 243 (83-82-78) at Twin Bridges Country Club in Danville, Indiana. Her 54-hole total is tied for 16th lowest in SCAC Championship history and her final round of 78 is tied for the 25th lowest final round in league history. A 2018 Oglethorpe Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Gates closed out her career by earning WGCA Honorable Mention All-American honors after finishing tied for 13th individually at the 2008 Division III National Championships which featured a remarkable four-straight rounds in the 70s.
DePauw’s Murtaugh is one of just three golfers in conference history to earn First Team All-SCAC in four consecutive seasons, accomplishing the feat from 2005-2008. At the SCAC Championships, she twice finished fourth in both 2007 (86-76 – 162) and 2008 (86-79-76 – 241) and tied for third as a freshman in 2005 (82-81 – 163), while her performance as a senior made her just the fourth golfer in SCAC history to fire multiple rounds in the 70s in the same championship. Her best individual performance came in her sophomore season when she finished tied for first after firing a 164 (80-84). She just missed out on medalist honors, falling to teammate Sarah Gates on the third playoff hole – the longest playoff in SCAC history. A three-time WGCA All-American, including Second Team honors in 2007, Murtaugh was a member of two conference championship teams during her career as a Tiger.
Rounding out the all-anniversary team is Shelby DeVore of Trinity, Summer Swift of Texas Lutheran and Jamie Wright of Centenary.
The 2015 SCAC Freshman-of-the-Year, Trinity’s DeVore was a three-time All-SCAC performer during her tenure, a career highlighted by a pair of First Team honors in both 2015 and 2017. In both of her appearances on the First Team she finished tied for third, firing a two-day total of 163 (84-79) in 2015 and again posting a 163 (81-82) in 2017. Her sixth-place finish in 2016 featured a career-best championship round of 78 and her 36-hole total of 160 is tied for the 22nd lowest round in SCAC Championship history. She was a member of two conference championships during her career as a Tiger.
Texas Lutheran’s Swift earned medalist honors in 2018 after firing a 36-hole total of 156 (76-80) and then defeated fellow 30th anniversary team member and Southwestern’s McDaniel on the first playoff hole. Her two-round total of 156 is tied for the ninth lowest in 36-hole SCAC Championship history. A three-time All-SCAC performer, Swift earned a second First Team accolade when she finished third at the 2019 championship after posting a two-day total of 164 (81-83).
Centenary’s Wright finished second at the 2014 championship after firing a two-day total of 156 (75-81) – a shot behind the eventual winner – and is one of just 16 golfers in SCAC history to earn First Team All-SCAC three times during a career. Her 36-hole total of 156 is still tied for ninth lowest all-time at the SCAC championships. She finished tied for fourth (85-80 – 165) at the 2013 championship and capped off her career by finishing in a tie for third at the 2015 championship after posting a two-round total of 163 (83-80). Her performance at the 2013 tournament helped the Ladies to a third-place finish, the best in program history.
The SCAC was formed in 1991 after a reorganization of its predecessor, the College Athletic Conference (CAC). The CAC dates to 1962 with four charter members: Centre College, Southwestern @ Memphis (now Rhodes College), Sewanee-The University of the South, and Washington & Lee (Va.) University. Washington (Mo.) University joined the CAC later that same year.
The SCAC was formed to provide an association through which the member institutions may encourage organized competition in intercollegiate sports among teams representative of their respective student bodies. Members of this conference share a commitment to priority of the overall quality of academic standards and quality educational experiences.
