DALLAS, Texas – Conference USA announced its Women's Golf Postseason Awards on Friday. For the second straight season, WKU women's golf coach Adam Gary was named Conference USA Coach of the Year, while 2025 CUSA champion Sydney Hackett was named the Conference's Most Improved Golfer of the Year.
Four Lady Toppers were also named All-Conference on Friday, with Hackett and Catie Craig earning first-team recognition, and Averi Cline and Kaylee Dwyer receiving second-team nods.
Hackett becomes the third WKU women's golfer to earn CUSA Most Improved, joining Craig (2023) and Emily Alexander (2016). This marks Hackett's second CUSA Superlative Award of her career after she earned the Conference's Freshman of the Year honors in 2023. It is her first, first team All-CUSA honor in her career; she was also third team All-CUSA her freshman season.
A native of Ashburn, Va., Hackett has a 72.78 scoring average in 32 rounds (11 events) this season. Last year, she finished with a 75.2 scoring average in 30 rounds, shaving nearly two-and-a-half strokes off her per-round scoring average during her junior season.
Hackett won the CUSA individual title in a playoff over Golfer of the Year Emma Bunch (New Mexico State), helping WKU to its first team conference championship in the 48-year history of the program. Hackett has six Top 4 finishes in 11 events, seven Top 10s and eight Top 20s. Fifteen of Hackett's 32 rounds have been played at even-par or better this season as the Lady Tops head into the NCAA Regionals next week.
For Gary, it was his second straight CUSA Coach of the Year honors. He led the Lady Tops to the program's first conference championship in the 48-year history of the program, mentoring Hackett to just the program's second-ever conference individual title (Craig, 2023). The Lady Tops have won four events this spring, the most in a single-season in program history (previous best was two wins, four times) and achieved a school-record best ranking of No. 57 earlier this spring. WKU enters the NCAA Lexington Regional ranked No. 60 in the country.
With a head-to-head record of 107-26-11, WKU is one of just 10 programs – No. 2 Arkansas, No. 3 Florida State, No. 5 Oregon, No. 6 Texas, No. 8 Arizona State, No. 9 USC, No. 21 Florida, Campbell and Illinois State – to post at least 107 wins and 26 or fewer losses this season.
Additionally, three different individuals won an event this season for WKU – Catie Craig (Cardinal Cup), Kaylee Dwyer (Tennessee Spring Challenge) and Sydney Hackett (CUSA Championship). Only three Power Four programs – No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 South Carolina and No. 25 Duke – had at least three individuals win a tournament this season.
In addition to Hackett earning first team honors, Craig earns the nod for the second straight season. She was also named third team All-CUSA in 2023, marking the third straight season she has been named all-conference. A native of Sautee Nacoochee, Ga., Craig has a 72.88 scoring average in 26 rounds (9 events) this season. She has a win (Cardinal Cup), four Top 5 finishes, six Top 10s and seven Top 20s. She has also competed at the Augusta National Women's Amateur and qualified for the Final Stage of LPGA Qualifying.
Cline, a junior from Suwanee, Ga., was named second team All-CUSA, her first career all-conference nod. She has a 75.00 scoring average in 32 rounds (11 events) with a season-best tie for second at the Lady Paladin Invitational in the fall. She also finished tied for eighth at the UNF Collegiate in the spring and has four Top 20s.
Dwyer, a freshman from Mokena, Ill., also earned second team All-CUSA recognition. She has played in all 32 rounds (11 events) this season with two Top 5 finishes, including a win at the Tennessee Spring Challenge, and four Top 20s. In addition to her win, her other Top 5 came as a fourth-place finish at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational.
The Lady Tops head to the NCAA Lexington Regional at Keene Trace Golf Club (Champions) from May 5-7.
Golfer of the Year:
Emma Bunch, NM State
Freshman of the Year:
Rebekka Stutley, Jax State
Most Improved Golfer of the Year:
Sydney Hackett, WKU
Coach of the Year:
Adam Gary, WKU
First Team All-Conference:
Emma Bunch, NM State
Amelia Guo, Sam Houston
Grace Jin, Sam Houston
Catie Craig, WKU
Sydney Hackett, WKU
Second Team All-Conference:
Hoi Ki Lau, FIU
Rebekka Stutley, Jax State
Abbie Lee, MTSU
Averi Cline, WKU
Kaylee Dwyer, WKU
Third Team All-Conference:
Karissa Kilby, FIU
Rachel Camp, Jax State
Lara El Chaib, Jax State
Ella Manley, MTSU
Marley Moncada, NM State
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