Women’s golf wraps up season

The USD women’s golf team concluded its fall season with a third-place finish at the MSU/Payne Stewart Memorial in Springfield, Missouri, on Oct. 13. 

The Coyotes competed in five tournaments throughout September and October under ninth-year head coach Brett Bennett.

Despite some challenges earlier in the season, South Dakota finished its fall schedule with its strongest performance of the year.

The team opened the season with a second-place finish at the NDSU Invitational in Fargo, North Dakota, on Sept. 8-9.

Senior Ella Greenberg led the Coyotes with a tie for fourth place, earning her tenth career top-10 finish and moving into second place in program history for career top-10 finishes. 

South Dakota continued its fall schedule at the Redbird Invitational in Normal, Illinois, finishing eighth out of 13 teams, with Greenberg tying for ninth individually. 

The Coyotes then traveled to Columbia, Missouri, for the Johnie Imes Invitational on Sept. 21-22. After sitting in eighth place following the first day, South Dakota improved three positions to finish fifth. 

The team recorded a season-best round of 297 strokes, while Greenberg tied for eighth individually. Freshman Savannah Cagle also contributed with an even-par 72 in the final round.

South Dakota faced challenges at the Diane Thomason Invitational in Davenport, Iowa, finishing tenth out of 13 teams.

The tournament also featured a program milestone, as Cagle and senior Avery O’Donnell each recorded an eagle, marking the first time two Coyotes accomplished the feat in the same tournament.

The Coyotes concluded their fall schedule at the MSU/Payne Stewart Memorial, where all nine golfers competed across two teams. South Dakota’s A team recorded its best single-round score of the season with a 291 in the opening round. 

Senior Ava Schroeder led the team with an even-par round, followed by junior Eva Greenberg at one over par and sophomore Morgan Rupp at two over par. 

The A team finished third with a three-round total of 899 strokes, improving by 13 strokes from its previous season-best 54-hole score. 

The team’s average of approximately 299.7 strokes per round marked the first time this fall the Coyotes averaged below 300 in a three-round tournament. Ella Greenberg led South Dakota with three top-10 finishes throughout the fall season. 

With the fall schedule complete, South Dakota will shift its focus to the spring portion of the 2026-27 season. 

The Coyotes are scheduled to compete in five spring events, beginning with the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational in Rio Verde, Arizona, from Feb. 19-21. South Dakota will then travel to California, Missouri and Nebraska before concluding its season at the Summit League Championships at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona, from April 25-27.