GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman's Jeff Hull was voted the Southern Conference Women's Golf Coach of the Year, and four Paladin players also earned postseason honors, as announced today by the league office.
Sophomore Audrey Ryu and senior Alise Knudson were named to the All-SoCon team, while Eva Ringwald and Jenna Madden claimed spots on the SoCon All-Freshman team. The teams are selected by a combination of rankings and a vote of the league's nine head coaches.
Hull, who earned his fourth SoCon Coach of the Year award and the Paladins' 16th overall, led Furman to the 2025 SoCon title last week at Solina Golf Club in West Columbia, S.C. The Paladins are the highest ranked team in the league and have earned the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA regionals, which will be held May 5-7. The NCAA field will be announced live on the Golf Channel on Wednesday at 1 p.m.
A native of Dublin, Ohio, Ryu earned her second-consecutive all-conference scroll after leading the league with a 72.64 stroke average over 28 rounds this season. She won individual medalist honors at last week's SoCon Championship after establishing a new league championship record with an opening-round 66. In ten events this season, she recorded four top-10 finishes, including a fourth-place finish at the Evie Odom Invitational and a fifth-place finish at the Landfall Tradition. A biology major with a 4.0 GPA, Ryu, who captured her first career individual win at the SoCon tournament, was also honored with the 2025 SoCon Pinnacle Award, given annually to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA on the championship team.
Knudson, who hails from Dallas, Texas, finished sixth at last week's SoCon Championship after carding a 1-under 71 with three birdies in the final round. She ranks second on the Paladin team and 12th in the league with a 75.2 stroke average over 28 rounds. Knudson tied for eighth at the Evie Odom Invitational and tied for 12th at the Lady Paladin Invitational.
Ringwald, a native of Aidlingen, Germany, competed in all 28 rounds for Furman this season, tallying a 75.64 stroke average, the second-best freshman stroke average in the league. She tied for 16th at the Coach Mo Classic and went on to place 20th at the SoCon Championship. All told, Ringwald boasts four top-20 finishes during her freshman campaign.
Madden, who is from McKinney, Texas, recorded a 76.04 stroke average over 25 rounds this season. After firing a 68 in the second round of the Lady Paladin Invitational, she went on to tie for fifth at the Evie Odom Invitational. Last week Madden finished 11th at the SoCon Championships, marking her fourth top-20 finish of the season.
"I am very proud of Audrey and Alise for making All-SoCon," said Hull. "Audrey had a great year, winning the championship, and it was great to see Alise lead us to the team title, as well," said Hull. "It was also great to have Jenna and Eva selected to the all-freshman team. Having good freshmen enables us to have good teams in the future as well, so we are excited about their future with Furman."
2024-25 SoCon Women's Golf Awards
Player of the Year
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
Freshman of the Year
Emilia Väistö, Mercer
Coach of the Year
Jeff Hull, Furman
All-Southern Conference Team
Alise Knudson, Furman
Audrey Ryu, Furman
Emilia Väistö, Mercer
Katie Scheck, Mercer
Mikayla Dubnik, Mercer
Ava Romfo, UNCG
Kasey McIlvaine, UNCG
Violeta Fernandez-Tagle, Chattanooga
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
Elizabeth Lohbauer, Western Carolina
All-Freshman Team
Eva Ringwald, Furman
Jenna Madden, Furman
Emilia Väistö, Mercer
Lulu Leetham, UNCG
Sophie Lauture, UNCG
