BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. --Audrey Ryu (-2) repeated as individual medalist, and Furman (+30) won the team title by two strokes Wednesday at the 2026 Southern Conference Women's Golf Championship, which was held this week at the par-72, 6,150 yard Columbia Country Club in Blythewood, S.C.

With the win, the Paladins, who have won nine of the last 11 league titles and 22 overall, clinched the SoCon's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, which will be held May 11-13.  The NCAA field will be announced live on the Golf Channel on Wed., April 29, at 5 p.m.

Ryu's win marks the fourth-straight individual victory for the Paladins and gives Furman a league-best 21 SoCon individual medalists.  A junior from Dublin, Ohio, she carded a 73 with a birdie on No. 14 to win the title by seven shots over Paladin sophomore Eva Ringwald, who paced the Paladins with a 2-under 70 and a team-high five birdies in the final round. 

"I achieved what I wanted to this week, which was to come into the tournament feeling like I had done everything that I could possibly do to be prepared," said Ryu.  "Our team has achieved a lot this year because we have good team chemistry and have learned to rely on each other.  We all knew we were there for each other this week, which was great."

Furman placed four players among the top 21, including freshman Olivia Hasselbach (+12) who was even on the back nine in the final round to finish with a 78 with birdies on No. 4 and No. 11, and freshman Ava Hanneman (+17) who recorded an 82 on Wednesday to tie for 21st.  Sophomore Jenna Madden (+21) tied for 28th after carding an 80 with a birdie on No. 14. 

"We just told the team keep fighting, keep fighting," said Furman head coach Jeff Hull after the victory, his ninth SoCon title since joining the Paladin staff.  "I was really happy with how resilient our players were and how hard they fought." 

A math and economics major with a data analytics minor who boasts a 3.97 GPA, sophomore Andrea Marin Raga was honored with the 2026 SoCon Pinnacle Award presented by the Knight Commission, which is given annually to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA on the championship team.

In the team competition, Chattanooga (+32) finished second, followed by UNC Greensboro (+46) in third place. 

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1 Furman 289 304 301 894 +30 
1 Audrey Ryu 70 71 73 214 -2
2 Eva Ringwald 73 78 70 221 +5
T14 Olivia Hasselbach 74 76 78 228 +12
T21 Ava Hanneman 72 79 82 233 +17
T28 Jenna Madden 76 81 80 237 +21