With Trinity athletics on the hunt for full departmental awards, Trinity men’s and women’s golf got their seasons underway with hopes of contributing to the effort. Both teams enter this year coming off of successful 2025 campaigns, with men’s golf ranked No. 24 nationally. They open their season on March 2-3 at the Savannah Invitational hosted by Berry College in Georgia. On the other hand, No. 19 women’s golf started its season Feb. 21-22 at the Centre College Classic in Pinehurst, NC.

In the opening event of the spring season, women’s golf finished third overall, only behind No. 2 Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and No. 7 Washington University in St. Louis (WashU).

“We learned that we’re capable of greatness,” head women’s golf coach Shelby DeVore, class of ‘18, said. “Being able to play with them [CMU and WashU] and see what the difference is between us was good for them, because there wasn’t a big difference. It showed our team that we have the capability to be just as good.”

In 2025, Trinity women’s golf won its fifth consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Championship, and all five Trinity golfers earned All-SCAC honors. DeVore also won her fourth straight SCAC Coach of the Year honor as the team qualified for the Division III NCAA National Championship, where they finished tied for 22nd. Now, they face a new obstacle in the Southern Athletic Association (SAA).

“We haven’t been challenged in the past as much as we’d like,” DeVore said. “Being in a conference where we know we need to show up is exciting, especially when Trinity did so well in the fall. The goal is to win it. We met in the middle of January, and I showed them a photo of all the SAA fall sports trophies won. I said, ‘y’all want to be the team that doesn’t bring one home?’ We want to let SAA golf know that we are here and we are going to take that trophy.”

Two returning golfers impressed down the stretch for women’s golf in 2025. Junior Lauren Huddleston won first place at the SCAC Championship and senior Jessica Mason won SCAC Golfer of the Year for the second consecutive season. Mason also finished 12th overall in the national championship, earning Division III honors for earning Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) First Team All-Region and WGCA Second Team All-American.

“Those two are really important to this team,” DeVore said. “I have a young team right now. We traveled with three freshmen to four of our last five tournaments. Those two are the leaders. They’ve taken those freshmen under their wings and shown them what it means to be on this team. Having their experience is huge; we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for those two.”

For men’s golf, the first event of the season is just around the corner. Last season, they finished second at the SCAC Championship, with sophomore Sam Rossi winning SCAC Freshman of the Year. The team qualified for the Division III NCAA tournament, where they finished 17th.

Men’s golf heads to Georgia for the Savannah Invitational on March 2-3. Women’s golf returns to action the following weekend, at the Westbrook Invitational in Peoria, Arizona, on March 7-8.