SMU women’s golf made a statement at the ACC Championship, finishing runner-up in match play and building real momentum for the NCAA postseason.
SMU women’s golf left the ACC Women’s Golf Championship without the title it wanted, but the Mustangs still walked away looking every bit like a team built for a serious NCAA postseason run.
After finishing near the bottom of the field in their ACC debut a year ago, SMU flipped the script in Wilmington by taking second in stroke play, knocking off North Carolina in the semifinals and advancing to the conference championship match against No. 1 Stanford.
That kind of jump says plenty about where this program stands entering the NCAA selection show on April 29. SMU already carried a top-30 ranking into the week, and its latest postseason push should only strengthen its profile before regional play begins in May.
The growth of the program showed up not only on the course, but off it, too. Following the final round at Porters Neck Country Club, senior Emily Odwin took a moment to connect with two young fans who had shouted encouragement from a distance.
Instead of just waving back, she brought them over and signed keepsakes from her bag.
“At the end of the day, we're very lucky to do what we do. It's a privilege and a blessing being able to travel around and play golf,” Odwin said.
“Being able to come out to Wilmington, play on a really good golf course against some really good competitors, it's what we want to do. But I think a big part of that is inspiring kids and trying to give them those experiences. I think that's just as important as what we do on the golf course.”
Head coach Lauren Mason said the pieces are finally lining up for this roster at the right time.
“We've got such a great team this year, and I keep telling people that,” Mason said. “Everything's coming together at the right time. The pieces are falling into place. We've played really solid golf collectively, and now we're seeing our hard work pay off when it matters most, in the postseason run. We've put in a lot preparation, and it's finally showing. I've told people all along how special this group is.”
Odwin echoed that belief.
“I think it speaks a lot to the work that both Lauren and (Associate Head Coach Carly Ludwig) have done the last year putting the pieces together, recruiting some of the best players to try and put us in this position so we can make a deep run this week,” Odwin said.
“It speaks to the strength of this team and the depth that we have. It wasn't really just any one player this week; it was a real collective effort. I'm just really proud of this team.”
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