(SILVIS, Ill.) – For the third consecutive year, the No. 15 Truett McConnell University women’s golf team is headed to the NAIA National Championships on May 23-26 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois.
The Lady Bears are one of two teams representing the Appalachian Athletic Conference, including AAC front-runner No. 10 Milligan University. TMU is set to tee off at 8:10 a.m. (CST) on Tuesday and 1:10 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday.
“The ladies had an incredible regular season and I’m thrilled they were rewarded with a berth in the National Championship. We finished the regular season ranked #15 in the NAIA poll which helped us secure an at-large spot,” said Head Coach Steve Patton. “We also finished the year with a team stroke average two strokes better than last year, so the ladies made a lot of improvement in the off season and during the year. We are looking forward to representing TMU with class and dignity at the National Championship and can’t wait to make more memories together.”
TMU’s five-woman roster will include Jala Stamey, Madison Panter, Audrey Grace Holder, Sylken November and Mary Grace Davidson. The Lady Bears had a successful 2023 season, topping out at No. 15 in the NAIA National Top 25 Poll. According to Golfstat, the Lady Bears rank 15th in the NAIA team rankings.
TMU finished in the top five in all but three of their 10 tournaments, featuring an individual first place finish by Stamey at the Golden Tiger Invitational. One of TMU’s most notable performances was the Coastal Georgia Fall Invitational in September where the Lady Bears defeated every NAIA-ranked competitor. Additionally, TMU finished third overall out of nine teams at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament, with a team score of 668. Most notable, Davidson earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team, followed by Panter who earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team.
