CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – Head coach Kalen Anderson has again been named to the watch list for the 2022-23 Division I Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year on Wednesday. The award will be announced at the conclusion of medal play at the upcoming NCAA Championship on Monday, May 22.
Anderson is one of 20 coaches on the list. Recognized as the highest annual coaching honor in women’s collegiate golf, the Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year is awarded annually to the top coach in Division I, II, III and NAIA women’s golf. The recipient is selected by a prestigious collection of women’s collegiate golf coaches who follow criteria that has been established to identify the top head coach for the past year:
- The award will be determined by vote from the Division I Awards Committee upon review of the 10 highest ranked coaches in each region and their respective records for the year.
- From that list, the committee will determine the Golf Pride Regional Coach of the Year.
- The top three per region, based on the vote, will be considered by the Committee for the Division I Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year Presented by Golf Pride and this will be based on the entire season’s results.
Anderson was named WGCA South Region Coach of the Year for the first time in her career last season after leading the team to a single-season, program record five tournament wins and a final ranking of No. 4 in Golfstat.
This year, the team has finished in the top-five in all 11 tournaments, which is a new program record (previous best was 10 in 2014-15). The fourth-ranked Gamecocks punched the team’s third-straight trip to the NCAA Championship with a runner-up finish at the NCAA Athens Regional (May 8-10) recently. Sophomore All-Americans Louise Rydqvist and Hannah Darling finished second and third, respectively, as four of Carolina’s five players finished in the top-20. The Gamecocks set a new 54-hole NCAA Regional program record with a score of 853 (-11).
In 16 seasons as head coach, Anderson has led South Carolina to 12 NCAA Championships and five NCAA Regional titles. She’s the winningest coach in program history with 22 victories. The team has its two best NCAA Championship finishes under her direction, taking fifth in 2012 and finishing T-5th in 2016, the team’s only appearance in the new match play format. In those 12 NCAA Championship appearances, the Gamecocks have finished in the top-15 seven times.
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