Season Preview | A Look At The Gamecocks Ahead Of 2017-18 Campaign

Sept. 12, 2017

A Look At Last Season
South Carolina again peaked in the NCAA postseason this past spring, capturing the 2017 NCAA Columbus Regional Title to earn its third-straight regional championship. Ana Pelaez paced Carolina in the victory and grabbed her first collegiate medalist honors along the way after totaling a 216 (E). Senior Katelyn Dambaugh and then-junior Ainhoa Olarra also placed inside the top five for the Gamecocks, which rallied from eight shots back to finish atop the leaderboard on the final day.

Carolina’s victory in Columbus marked its second win of the season. The Gamecocks, who have won 10 tournaments under Anderson, closed 2016 with a win at the Landfall Tradition. Carolina has boasted multiple wins in a season three times under Anderson.

The Gamecocks produced a solid showing at the 2017 NCAA Championship, earning the program’s fourth top-10 finish (10th) at the event. Olarra’s strong postseason played continued, and the San Sebastian, Spain, native tied for 10th at Rich Harvest Farms. Her performance marked the fifth-best individual showing in school history, and Olarra capped off her spring with All-America Honorable Mention accolades from the WGCA and Golfweek.

Dambaugh closed her decorated collegiate career this past season in style, capturing the individual title at the 2017 SEC Championship with a historic showing. The Goose Creek, S.C., native, whose 72.67 career stroke average ranks first in program history, set a school and tournament record with a 54-hole mark of 204 (-12) at the conference championship. Dambaugh’s 71.68 scoring average as a senior ranked 12th in Division I, and she earned First-Team All-America honors from Golfweek and Second Team accolades from the WGCA.

Pelaez rounded out the group of Gamecocks to earn All-America laurels during the team’s 2016-17 campaign. The Malaga, Spain, native became the first freshman All-American (Honorable Mention, Golfweek) in school history after posting the lowest scoring average ever (73.12) by a Carolina newcomer. Pelaez totaled two top-five finishes in her first season, including her win in Columbus.

2017 Fall Schedule
– Mason Rudolph Championship (Sept. 15-17 | Nashville, Tenn.)
– ANNIKA Intercollegiate (Oct. 1-3 | Eden Prairie, Minn.)
– Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational (Oct. 13-15 | Chapel Hill, N.C.)
– Landfall Tradition (Oct. 27-29 | Wilmington, N.C.)

From The Coach
“Our goal is to continue to get better each tournament and each practice. We’re going to have to show a lot of consistency throughout the year. The more consistency we can bring, the better we are going to be. This is a group that’s going to buy into the things we’re doing as coaches. We have a lot of spirit and fire in this lineup. I’m excited to get underway and see where we are. I think we have the chance to be very competitive and compete for postseason championships.” – South Carolina women’s golf coach Kalen Anderson

The Returnees
Gaby Amos (Junior | Gainesville, Fla.)
– Did not see any action during the 2016-17 season
– Appeared in three events as a freshman
– Carded a final-round 71 (-1) on the last day of the 2015 Tar Heel Invitational

Anderson on Amos
“Gaby continues to develop, and we are excited to see what contributions she can make to our team.”

Isidora Nilsson (Junior | Hilton Head Island, S.C.)
– Played in four tournaments last season as a sophomore
– Tied for 27^th at the 2017 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
– Grabbed a top-50 showing (T45) at the 2016 Tar Heel Invitational

Anderson on Nilsson
“Isi is continuing to get better and better. She has the ability, and she’s played very well for us in the postseason – especially in her freshman year. I’m excited to see the work she’s put in over the summer, and she has the ability to play very well.”

Ainhoa Olarra (Senior | San Sebastian, Spain)
– Closed her junior campaign with All-America honors from the WGCA and Golfweek
– Posted the fourth-lowest single-season mark in program history last season
– Four of her five top-10 finishes as a junior came in the spring, including a 10^th-place showing at the 2017 NCAA Championship

Anderson on Olarra
“Ainhoa brings a lot of experience into her senior year. She had an incredible year as an All-American last year. She brings a lot of fire and spirit to the team, and she’s one of our most consistent players of all-time. She’s really stepped up these last two years, and I am really excited to have her be our senior leader. She’s very vocal, and she will be our leader on-and-off the golf course.”

Ana Pelaez (Sophomore | Malaga, Spain)
– Boasted the best stroke average (73.12) ever by a Gamecock freshman last season
– Became the first freshman in school history to earn All-America laurels
– Grabbed medalist honors at the 2017 NCAA Columbus Regional

Anderson on Pelaez
“Ana has a lot of fire and flare out there. She’s coming off the win at the regional last year, but she has her best golf ahead of her. She really has the ability to be one of the top players in the country. As an All-American, she will bring some consistency to our lineup. She will definitely be a major contributor to our success this year.”

Anita Uwadia (Sophomore | Okoko, Nigeria)
– Competed in six of Carolina’s 11 tournaments in her first year
– Tied for 11^th with a 54-hole mark of 210 (-6) in her collegiate debut at the 2016 ANNIKA Intercollegiate
– Carded a final-round 71 (-1) to help the Gamecocks win the 2016 Landfall Tradition

Anderson on Uwadia
“Anita was in-and-out of our lineup as a freshman. She played a lot this summer, and I’m very excited at all the experience she gained over that time. It gave her the proper experience needed to settle into our lineup. I believe we will see a lot more consistency from her this year, and I’m excited to watch her grow as a player. She has the ability to go really low.”

Marion Veysseyre (Junior | Lachapelle-Auzac, France)
– Played in each of Carolina’s 11 events as a sophomore and finished with a 75.10 stroke average
– Earned her first career top-10 finish (T10) at the 2017 FSU Match-Up
– Has competed at the NCAA Championship in each of the last two seasons for the Gamecocks

Anderson on Veysseyre
“Marion has made a lot of progress and has been solid in our lineup over the last couple years. She’s been very steady, and she works very hard. We’ve very excited to see her continued development in our lineup.”

The Newcomer
Lois Kaye Go (Sophomore | Cebu City, Philippines)
– Earned All-ACC honors while competing for Boston College as a freshman last season
– Led the Eagles with a 72.29 stroke average and tallied two collegiate victories on the year
– Won the individual title at the 2017 Women’s Porter Cup this past June

Anderson on Go
“Lois is a transfer who I am very excited about. She’s someone who is very consistent – she hits it very straight and has a really good short game. She is going to shoot a lot of rounds right around par and throw in a couple of really low rounds for us. She will be a solid player in our lineup.”