FRIPP ISLAND, S.C. – The Radford women's golf program's storybook season isn't over just yet as the Highlanders captured the 2025 Big South Championship for the first time in school history on Wednesday. With the historic win, Radford also punched its ticket to the NCAA Regional for the first time.
A day after recording its highest finish in the stroke play portion of the Big South Championships since 2015, Radford won the conference's match play title with a 3-1 victory over No. 1 seed Charleston Southern to earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals.
The Highlanders, who were competing in the Big South Championship Match Play portion for the first time in program history since the format was added in 2021, knocked off No. 2 High Point, 3-1 in the morning semifinals. After the Panthers won match two for an early 1-0 lead in the showdown, Radford stormed back to score three-straight wins to advance to the title match.
The squad then kept that strong momentum going into the day's later championship round. Radford won the first two points when
Grace Addison and
Caroline Gilreath both picked up individual victories. Despite the quick lead, Charleston Southern fought back and made it a 2-1 match. Radford needed to win one of the remaining two matches to take the school's first conference crown in program history.
All eyes turned to
Shea Smith, who found herself down three through the first nine holes. She reduced the deficit to just one after hole 11 and then went on to tie the match on hole 16. It was all knotted up after 17 holes when Smith took the only lead she needed to in the second session of the day as she drained an eight-foot put on the par-5 18th for the victory.
The Highlanders made it to the semifinals for the first time after the group posted a strong third-place finish over the tournament's first three days of team stroke play. Radford finished +53 as a squad, just three back of leader Charleston Southern and 22 up on the fifth-place team to easily advance to four-team match play.
GO AHEAD AND CROWN US
THE UNDERDOG STORY
THOSE CHAMPIONSHIP MOMENTS
READ ALL ABOUT IT
MATCH PLAY FINALS RESULTS
#3 Radford defeats #1 Charleston Southern, 3-1 (
Order of finish)
Match 1 -
Grace Addison (RAD) defeats Eugenie Varet (CSU), 3&2 (RAD leads 1-0)
Match 2 -
Caroline Gilreath (RAD) defeats Paige Zolciak (CSU), 4&3 (RAD leads 2-0)
Match 5 - Isabella Galla (CSU) defeats
Hannah Lindemann (RAD), 4&3 (RAD leads 2-1)
Match 3 -
Shea Smith (RAD) defeats Odette Font Garcia (CSU), 1UP (RAD wins 3-1)
Match 4 - Katie Stephens (CSU) vs.
Macy Johnson (RAD), 1UP thru 17 (unfinished)
MATCH PLAY SEMIFINALS RESULTS
#3 Radford defeats #2 High Point, 3-1 (Order of finish)
Match 2 – Anna Howerton (HPU) defeats
Caroline Gilreath (RAD), 8&7 (HPU leads 1-0)
Match 1 –
Grace Addison (RAD) defeats Savannah Cherry (HPU), 5&4 (match tied 1-1)
Match 4 –
Shea Smith (RAD) defeats Julia McLaughlin (HPU), 5&4 (RAD leads 2-1)
Match 3 –
Macy Johnson (RAD) defeats Anaïs Arafi (HPU), 2-1 (RAD wins 3-1)
Match 5 – Ella Perna (HPU) vs.
Hannah Lindemann (RAD), 1UP thru 15, unfinished
