Furman University swept the Southern Conference women’s golf postseason awards, according to an announcement by the league office on Apr. 28. Audrey Ryu was named player of the year, Olivia Hasselbach received freshman of the year honors, and Jeff Hull was recognized as coach of the year.
The awards highlight Furman’s strong performance in the conference this season. The recognition underscores both individual and team achievements for Furman athletes and coaching staff.
In addition to these honors, Eva Ringwald joined Ryu and Hasselbach on the all-conference team. Ava Hanneman and Hasselbach were selected for the all-freshman team. These teams are determined through a combination of rankings and votes from the league’s nine head coaches.
Ryu became Furman’s 21st recipient of SoCon Player of the Year and has now won this honor six times in eight years since Hull joined as coach. A junior from Dublin, Ohio, Ryu leads her team with a stroke average of 72.57 over 30 rounds this season and recently secured her second consecutive SoCon individual championship.
Hasselbach, a freshman from Tampa, Florida, finished third among Paladins with a stroke average of 74.23 over 30 rounds this season. She tied for third at both the Valspar Augusta Invitational and Momentum Transportation UNF Collegiate events.
Hull earned his fifth SoCon Coach of the Year award after leading Furman to win its latest conference title at Columbia Country Club in Blythewood, South Carolina last week. The Paladins have secured an automatic bid to compete in NCAA regionals scheduled for May 11-13; tournament selections will be announced live on Golf Channel Wednesday at 4 p.m.
“I am so proud of this team and the individuals honored with SoCon awards,” said Hull. “Audrey continues to impress with her play, and I’m so glad she was named player of the year. Eva has really stepped up everything and has developed into the player she wants to be. It’s nice that her hard work has paid off. Olivia is our first freshman of the year recipient since 2021. To win that and be named to All-SoCon team and all-freshman team are great accomplishments. When you add Ava to the all-freshman team as well as everyone else returning, I feel like we are poised for a great run next year, as well.”
