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All-SoCon Women’s Golf Team Announced
Furman’s Anna Morgan named Player of the Year for the third straight season
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman’s Anna Morgan has been named the Southern Conference Women’s Golf Player of the Year in voting conducted by the league’s nine head coaches. Samford’s Gabi Nicastro is the 2023-24 SoCon Freshman of the Year and ETSU’s Stefanie Shelton is the league’s coach of the year.
The league also named a 10-member all-conference team and a five-member all-freshman team, with the all-conference team determined by a combination of Clippd rankings and coaches’ votes and the all-freshman team voted on by the coaches.
Morgan, the top-ranked golfer in the SoCon at No. 16 nationally, turned in six top-five finishes, including her second consecutive SoCon tournament title among her four wins on the year. She won the 49th Annual Lady Paladin Invitational in September, the 21st Annual Landfall Tradition in October, the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in early February, and the SoCon Women’s Golf Championship earlier this month. The senior was the SoCon Player of the Week five times this season and the
SoCon Player of the Month four times during the season.
The Spartanburg, South Carolina, native leads the conference with a 69.63 stroke average over 30 rounds. The fifth-year player also competed at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on April 3-6, marking her third-consecutive appearance at the event. She tied for 21st at the 2022 ANWA, missed the cut at last year's event and tied for 61st this year.
Morgan earned All-SoCon recognition for the fourth straight season, along with being named SoCon Player of the Year for a third straight time. A Paladin golfer has been named player of the year 20 times, with this season marking the fifth time in the last six years that a member of the Furman squad has won the award.
Nicastro is ranked No. 167 in the nation by Clippd and is second in the SoCon with a 72.35 stroke average over 26 rounds. The native of Huntsville, Alabama, won the Hoover Invitational and the Alabama State Spring Classic and did not finish lower than 10th in nine tournaments. Nicastro tied for third at the SoCon Women’s Golf Championship. The freshman earned a spot on the all-conference team and all-freshman squad.
She is Samford’s first SoCon Freshman of the Year honoree.
Shelton was named SoCon Coach of the Year for the third time of her career and the second time in four years. Now in her 22nd year at the helm, Shelton led the Bucs to five top-10 finishes during the season, including a win at the Low Country Intercollegiate and a wire-to-wire victory at the 2024 SoCon Championship.
Morgan was joined on the All-SoCon squad by teammate Audrey Ryu, who also earned a spot on the all-freshman team. A native of Dublin, Ohio, Ryu was third in the SoCon with a 72.70 stroke average and claimed a pair of top-10 finishes during the season. SoCon champion ETSU had two representatives on the all-conference team. Sophie Bert and Brianna Castaldi both earned the accolade, with Castaldi also garnering a spot on the all-freshman team. Bert, who ranks eighth in the league
in stroke average at 73.88, finished sixth at the Low Country Intercollegiate in March and finished as the runner-up at the conference championship. Castaldi ranks ninth in the league with a 73.93 stroke average. She tied for 10th at the season-opening Golfweek Fall Challenge in September and claimed a share of second place at the Low Country Intercollegiate.
Chattanooga had a pair of golfers on the all-conference squad in Makenzie Cooper and Violeta Fernandez-Tagle. Cooper is fifth in the league with a 73.13 stroke average and claimed tournament wins at the Evie Odom Invitational in October and the Chris Banister Invite in March. Fernandez-Tagle owned a 72.70 stroke average, which tied for third-lowest in the league, alongside Ryu. The native of El Puerto De Sante Marie, Spain, was in contention for individual medalist honors at the SoCon Championship after firing the best round of the day during round two of the tournament, which was a 2-under 70, before concluding the event in ninth place.
The Mercer duo of Mikayla Dubnik and Camilla Jarvela also earned spots on the All-SoCon squad. Dubnik is seventh in the SoCon with a 73.46 stroke average and won the Bears’ Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational in February along with the Brickyard Collegiate earlier this month. Jarvela recorded three top-10 finishes on the year, including a runner-up showing at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational.
Western Carolina’s Brielle Mapanao, the 2023 SoCon Freshman of the Year, captured a spot on the all-conference team after ranking sixth in the league with a 73.41 stroke average and finishing fifth at the SoCon Championship. She won the Terrier Intercollegiate and finished as runner-up at the Jupiter Women's Invitational, both of which were played in
October.
Wofford saw newcomer Bella Kent earn a spot on the all-freshman squad after the native of Berkshire, England, posted four top-10 finishes on the year. She tied for second at The Puerto Rico Classic in March and finished 15th in the SoCon with a 75.15 stroke average.
ETSU clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA regionals by virtue of its SoCon Championship win. The NCAA field will be announced live on Wednesday, April 24, at 2 p.m. (ET), on the Golf Channel.
2023-24 Southern Conference Player of the Year
Anna Morgan, 5th, Furman
2023-24 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
2023-24 Southern Conference Coach of the Year
Stefanie Shelton, ETSU
2023-24 All-Southern Conference Team
Makenzie Cooper Chattanooga
Violeta Fernandez-Tagle, Chattanooga
Sophie Bert, ETSU
Brianna Castaldi, ETSU
Anna Morgan, Furman
Audrey Ryu, Furman
Mikayla Dubnik Mercer
Camilla Jarvela, Mercer
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
Brielle Mapanao, Western Carolina
2023-24 All-Freshman Team
Violeta Fernandez-Tagle, Chattanooga
Brianna Castaldi, ETSU
Audrey Ryu, Furman
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
Bella Kent, Wofford
The league also named a 10-member all-conference team and a five-member all-freshman team, with the all-conference team determined by a combination of Clippd rankings and coaches’ votes and the all-freshman team voted on by the coaches.
Morgan, the top-ranked golfer in the SoCon at No. 16 nationally, turned in six top-five finishes, including her second consecutive SoCon tournament title among her four wins on the year. She won the 49th Annual Lady Paladin Invitational in September, the 21st Annual Landfall Tradition in October, the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in early February, and the SoCon Women’s Golf Championship earlier this month. The senior was the SoCon Player of the Week five times this season and the
SoCon Player of the Month four times during the season.
The Spartanburg, South Carolina, native leads the conference with a 69.63 stroke average over 30 rounds. The fifth-year player also competed at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur on April 3-6, marking her third-consecutive appearance at the event. She tied for 21st at the 2022 ANWA, missed the cut at last year's event and tied for 61st this year.
Morgan earned All-SoCon recognition for the fourth straight season, along with being named SoCon Player of the Year for a third straight time. A Paladin golfer has been named player of the year 20 times, with this season marking the fifth time in the last six years that a member of the Furman squad has won the award.
Nicastro is ranked No. 167 in the nation by Clippd and is second in the SoCon with a 72.35 stroke average over 26 rounds. The native of Huntsville, Alabama, won the Hoover Invitational and the Alabama State Spring Classic and did not finish lower than 10th in nine tournaments. Nicastro tied for third at the SoCon Women’s Golf Championship. The freshman earned a spot on the all-conference team and all-freshman squad.
She is Samford’s first SoCon Freshman of the Year honoree.
Shelton was named SoCon Coach of the Year for the third time of her career and the second time in four years. Now in her 22nd year at the helm, Shelton led the Bucs to five top-10 finishes during the season, including a win at the Low Country Intercollegiate and a wire-to-wire victory at the 2024 SoCon Championship.
Morgan was joined on the All-SoCon squad by teammate Audrey Ryu, who also earned a spot on the all-freshman team. A native of Dublin, Ohio, Ryu was third in the SoCon with a 72.70 stroke average and claimed a pair of top-10 finishes during the season. SoCon champion ETSU had two representatives on the all-conference team. Sophie Bert and Brianna Castaldi both earned the accolade, with Castaldi also garnering a spot on the all-freshman team. Bert, who ranks eighth in the league
in stroke average at 73.88, finished sixth at the Low Country Intercollegiate in March and finished as the runner-up at the conference championship. Castaldi ranks ninth in the league with a 73.93 stroke average. She tied for 10th at the season-opening Golfweek Fall Challenge in September and claimed a share of second place at the Low Country Intercollegiate.
Chattanooga had a pair of golfers on the all-conference squad in Makenzie Cooper and Violeta Fernandez-Tagle. Cooper is fifth in the league with a 73.13 stroke average and claimed tournament wins at the Evie Odom Invitational in October and the Chris Banister Invite in March. Fernandez-Tagle owned a 72.70 stroke average, which tied for third-lowest in the league, alongside Ryu. The native of El Puerto De Sante Marie, Spain, was in contention for individual medalist honors at the SoCon Championship after firing the best round of the day during round two of the tournament, which was a 2-under 70, before concluding the event in ninth place.
The Mercer duo of Mikayla Dubnik and Camilla Jarvela also earned spots on the All-SoCon squad. Dubnik is seventh in the SoCon with a 73.46 stroke average and won the Bears’ Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational in February along with the Brickyard Collegiate earlier this month. Jarvela recorded three top-10 finishes on the year, including a runner-up showing at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational.
Western Carolina’s Brielle Mapanao, the 2023 SoCon Freshman of the Year, captured a spot on the all-conference team after ranking sixth in the league with a 73.41 stroke average and finishing fifth at the SoCon Championship. She won the Terrier Intercollegiate and finished as runner-up at the Jupiter Women's Invitational, both of which were played in
October.
Wofford saw newcomer Bella Kent earn a spot on the all-freshman squad after the native of Berkshire, England, posted four top-10 finishes on the year. She tied for second at The Puerto Rico Classic in March and finished 15th in the SoCon with a 75.15 stroke average.
ETSU clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA regionals by virtue of its SoCon Championship win. The NCAA field will be announced live on Wednesday, April 24, at 2 p.m. (ET), on the Golf Channel.
2023-24 Southern Conference Player of the Year
Anna Morgan, 5th, Furman
2023-24 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
2023-24 Southern Conference Coach of the Year
Stefanie Shelton, ETSU
2023-24 All-Southern Conference Team
Makenzie Cooper Chattanooga
Violeta Fernandez-Tagle, Chattanooga
Sophie Bert, ETSU
Brianna Castaldi, ETSU
Anna Morgan, Furman
Audrey Ryu, Furman
Mikayla Dubnik Mercer
Camilla Jarvela, Mercer
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
Brielle Mapanao, Western Carolina
2023-24 All-Freshman Team
Violeta Fernandez-Tagle, Chattanooga
Brianna Castaldi, ETSU
Audrey Ryu, Furman
Gabi Nicastro, Samford
Bella Kent, Wofford