Kennesaw State University Athletics

2005 - Day One

The formulation of the women's golf program all began with the hire of Dennis Stubblefield as the Director of Golf Operations. The first Owl tournament took place August 12, 2005, in the Draper Valley Women's Intercollegiate as they finished in ninth place. It marked the first Division I tournament for the women's golf program. 

October 11, 2005 - First Taste of Gold

It didn't take long for the Owls to take home their first trophy as they placed first in the Diet Coke Wofford Invitational on Oct. 11, 2005. KSU carded a 603 team score in just the third event in program history to ended atop the six-team field. It was not only the program's first team win but it was also the first individual win in Black and Gold history. Sharon Lewin compiled a 2-over 146 score to stamp her place in Kennesaw State history, landing in first place individually.

April 13, 2009 - First ASUN Tournament Competition

Four seasons into the program's history, Kennesaw State earned its first shot at the ASUN Championship crown. In the first ASUN Championship, KSU placed fourth in the 10-team field with a 923 team score as Jordan Lazenby led the team with a 9-over 225. 

April 11, 2012 - Queens of the ASUN

The Owls finally broke through after three straight years of top-four finishes in the ASUN Championship as they claimed the crown in 2012. The win took place at the Victoria Hills Golf Club in DeLand, Fla. with an 871 team score of 7-over. It was KSU's first ASUN win as they finished four strokes ahead of ETSU. The Black and Gold placed three players in the top 10 individually as Ket Preamchuen earned the first even-par in in the team's history with a 216 over three rounds. 

May 12, 2012 - The Wild West

After securing the ASUN title, the Owls took the trip out to Erie, Colo. for the NCAA Regional, the first one in team history. They competed against a 24-team field including LSU, UCLA, Colorado, and Stanford. The team leader was Molly Winnett as she placed in the top 60 with a 12-over 228 through three rounds. 

2013 - The Preamchuens

You can't write about the history of Kennesaw State women's golf without mentioning Ket and Kaew Preamchuen. The sisters from Thailand left their names littered across the record book with Ket's single round record - still tied for the lowest in program history - with her 66 at the 2009 Palmetto Intercollegiate. Ket also set the records for individual low in 18 and 36 holes on a par 70 (66 & 141, respectively). She showcased as the lowest scorer for the Owls for three straight seasons, the longest streak in program history. 

Kaew still maintains the KSU single-season record for the most even-or-under par rounds as she tallied 14 in the 2013-14 season. She also holds the best par-5 scoring average in a single season in KSU history with a 4.79 in the same season. She earned ASUN Golfer of the Year honors in 2014.  

After the conclusions of their careers, they both landed top 10 in career: top 10 finishes, even-or-under par rounds, tournaments as KSU's top scorer, most rounds played and stroke average. 

2013 - Ines Lescudier's Outstanding Career

The French golfer placed her name throughout the Kennesaw State record book but her career was highlighted by breaking an eight-year drought for the Owls. In the 2013 ASUN Championship, she secured an individual win for the first time in program history since 2005 and the first ASUN Championship individual win for the Owls. She carded a 6-under 210 over the three rounds as she tied the program low-round score of 66 (par 72). She's now tied for the best round score in KSU ASUN tournament history for a single round with her 66 in round three. 

Ines ended her career as KSU's top scorer, doing so 18 times, three more than the next-closest. She posted the first ASUN Golfer of the Year award in program history in 2013. 

2018-2021 - The Three-Peat

Over a three-year stretch, the Owls ran roughshod through the ASUN as they claimed three consecutive titles. It all began with the win in 2018 in Braselton, Ga. On April 24, Madison Caldwell lifted the Owls with a first-place finish. She claimed the second ASUN individual title for the Owls, carding a 1-over 145 through two rounds. Just two strokes behind her was Charlotte Charrayre with a 3-over 147 as she tied for second in the field. The win sent them to the NCAA Tallahassee Regional where they finished 14th. 

Going back to Braselton, Ga. at the Chateau Elan Golf Club in 2019, KSU repeated as ASUN champions for the first time ever. They posted a 910-team score of 34-over, 13 strokes ahead of the FGCU Eagles. KSU cemented the top three spots individually with Medy Thavong (223), Roanne Tomlinson (226) and Clara Aveling (227). Once again, the Owls participated in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional with this one taking place in Opelika, Ala.

After a canceled 2020 season, the Owls picked up where they left off with their third-straight ASUN gold in 2021. Kennesaw State shattered the team record in the ASUN Championship with a 12-under 852, the only time the Owls shot under par in the tournament. Not only did they post an under-par round but the separation was other-worldly with a 30-stroke lead over the next-closest ASUN squad. For the second straight year, KSU landed the top three individual scorers with Tai Anudit (205), Lara Jecnik (209) and Alizee Vidal (218). They were sent to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional but was rained out without any results from the tournament. 

It's the first and only time in the Owls' history that they won three-straight conference crowns. As a result, head coach Rhyll Brinsmead collected five ASUN Coach of the Year Awards while the team tallied five-straight ASUN Golfers of the Year. 

June 2021 - Erin Thorne Era

In June 2021, Erin Thorne was hired as the head coach of the women's golf program. Thorne joined KSU from Wingate University, where she served as the men's and women's head golf coach and director of student-athlete development. She led the Bulldogs to six tournament championships, eight individual medalists, a South Atlantic Conference (SAC) championship and was a three-time SAC Coach of the Year. Thorne became the first coach in Kennesaw State program history to win multiple tournaments in their first season. The Owls won the 2022 Rio Verde Invitational and the 2022 Pinetree Women's Collegiate.

April 16, 2024 - Six-Time Champs

The Owls broke through in the ASUN Championship for the sixth time in program history as they landed in first place with an 864 team score. The Owls entered the day with back-to-back finishes in second place in rounds one and two. They started the final day five strokes behind Lipscomb and concluded two strokes ahead of the Bisons. For the second time ever, in the conference tournament an Owl carded a 66 round score as Bella Kil tied her career-best score in round two. Three Owls secured their spot on the ASUN All-Tournament Team with Bella Kil (213, finishing third), Alessandra Nagayo (217, tied for fifth) and Caitlyn Campbell-Nyman (217, tied for fifth). The program also has the second-most all-time ASUN women's golf titles with six, two behind former conference member Campbell. Of the 14 tournament wins the Owls have garnered, six have been conference titles.

May 8, 2024 - Auburn's Hills

As a results of claiming yet another ASUN title, the Owls were placed in the NCAA Auburn Regional. Leading the way for KSU were the seniors as Lara Jecnik claimed an under-par round score (70) in round three and Bella Kil recorded two 76 round scores. It was the first regional the seniors had played in given the cancelation of the 2021 Baton Rouge Regional. 

2023-2024 - Kil's Last Call

Senior Bella Kil saved the best for last in the final season as an Owl as she garnered a career-best average score of 73.12. She also cemented her name in the record books as she racked up 15 top-10 finishes. Kil now is the all-time program leader, passing Ket Preamchuen (14). She ends her career as the second most recent Owls to receive an individual win (Pinetree, 2022) and is the only Owl ever to shoot a 66 in two separate tournaments (2023 ASUN Championship & 2022 Rio Verde Invitational).

2024 - The Accolades Roll In

The entire ASUN conference was put on notice as the Owls racked up several post-season accolades. The Owls tallied five total awards as they earned four all-conference members with coach Erin Thorne securing her fist ASUN Coach of the Year honor. Kil and Jecnik both landed on the All-ASUN First Team, Nyah Kelly earned a second team spot and Alessandra Nagayo secured an All-Freshman team bid. It's the fifth time in the last six seasons that the Owls have collected exactly four members to the All-ASUN teams. The awards signified the final awards for the Owls in the ASUN, below is the final tally for the Owls' time in the Atlantic Sun:

Golfer of the Week/Month: 49
All-Conference/All-ASUN: 43
All-Tournament: 27
Golfer/Coach/Freshman of the Year: 17
ASUN Championship Medalists: 16
All-Freshman Team: 15
All-Academic: 9

Total awards: 176 (Dating back to 2010)

Kennesaw State joins Conference USA on July 1, 2024.