Anderson SEC Coach of the Year for Fifth Time, Five Gamecocks Earn All-SEC Honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The No. 4 South Carolina women’s golf team was well represented as 2025 SEC Women’s Golf Awards were announced on Friday. Head coach Kalen Anderson was tabbed SEC Coach of the Year for the fifth time (2025, 2024, 2022, 2021 and 2015) in her 18-year tenure. Standout mid-year enrollee Eila Galitsky was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Year as well, the second player in program history to win the prestigious award. In addition, Galitsky and senior All-Americans Louise Rydqvist and Hannah Darling were tabbed First Team All-SEC with sophomore Maylis Lamoure and graduate Sophia Burnett earning Second Team All-SEC honors.

The five All-SEC honors surpasses the previous program record of four set in 2022 in Darling and Rydqvist’s first year on campus. South Carolina has now had 34 All-SEC selections under Anderson, including 15 First Team All-SEC picks.

Anderson helped lead the Gamecocks to the program’s second SEC Championship (first since 2002) in program history at Pelican Golf Club on April 18 with a 3.5-1.5 victory over No. 24 Florida in the title match. Carolina made history as the first No. 1 seed from stroke play to win SECs since the league switched to its new match play format at the conference tournament in 2018. The Gamecocks won three tournaments this season finishing in the top-four in every event. The team was ranked in the top-five all season and earned the program’s fifth-straight No. 1 seed for NCAA Regionals last week. Carolina opens play at the NCAA Charlottesville Regional on Monday, seeking its fifth-straight NCAA Championship appearance and the 14^th all-time under Anderson in her 18 seasons as head coach.

Darling makes history today becoming the first player in program history to earn First Team All-SEC honors four times. The Midlothian, Scotland native has enjoyed a stellar senior campaign with eight top-20 finishes in eight stroke play starts, including five top-10s and a trio of top-fives. She leads the team with a 70.92 scoring average and 14 rounds of par or better in 24 rounds played this season. Darling won the ANNIKA Intercollegiate in the fall for her second career win with a career-best, 54-hole score of 202 (-14). She finished T-7^th in stroke play at the SEC Championship, her third top-10 in four career SEC Championship starts. Darling enters NCAA Regional play with the lowest career scoring average in program history at 71.98.

Rydqvist earns All-SEC honors for the third time in her career with her second consecutive First Team All-SEC distinction. She’s enjoyed a stellar final season as well with seven top-20 finishes in seven stroke play starts, including four top-10s and a pair of top-fives. She earned her second career win as Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Co-Champion back on March 5. Rydqvist and Arkansas’ Kendall Todd were the only players in the 90-women field to break par at the coveted event. Like Darling, she finished T-7^th at the SEC Championship in what was her third top-10 in four career SEC Championship starts. The Värnamo, Sweden also went 3-0 in her matches to help lead the Gamecocks to victory. Her career scoring average of 72.70 is No. 3 lowest all-time at South Carolina behind only Darling and former All-American Pauline Roussin-Bouchard. Rydqvist also earned on a spot on the SEC Community Service Team again as well as winning SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year for the second-straight season.

Galitsky burst onto the scene this spring with a trio of top-20 finishes, including two top-fives, in four stroke play starts. She won the Moon Golf Invitational on Feb. 18 in her second collegiate start, shooting 69 (-3) in the final round to force a playoff with WAGR No. 1 Lottie Woad of Florida State. Galitsky sunk a 35-foot birdie putt on the first playoff hole to defeat Woad. The Chaing Mai, Thailand native finished T-11^th at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and led the team with a T-5^th finish at the SEC Championship. Like Rydqvist, Galitsky also went 3-0 in matches at SECs to help the Gamecocks hoist the championship trophy. She also made waves in the golf world, shooting 66 (-6) at Augusta National on April 5 in the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur to tie the tournament third round scoring record as she finished T-4^th at one of the top amateur events in the world. Galitsky earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team as well. Anderson has had a player named to the SEC All-Freshman Team in seven consecutive seasons now.

Rydqvist (No. 8), Galitsky (No. 17) and Darling (No. 18) are all ranked in the top-20 of the latest World Amateur Golf Rankings. The trio, led by Darling at No. 13, all rank in the top-20 of Clippd as well.

Lamoure put together her best collegiate season to date with five top-20 finishes, including a trio of top-10s, in nine stroke play starts. She finished in the top-20 in all four of the team’s fall events. Lamoure helped the team to victory at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate with a T-6^th finish that featured a career-low score of 67 (-5) in the opening round. The Aix-en-Provence, France native logged 2&1 victories in both the semifinals and the finals of match play at the SEC Championship helping Carolina to victory.

Burnett has enjoyed a standout final season in Garnet and Black as a contributor with her consistency throughout the year. She had three top-20 finishes and her 11 rounds of par or better are T-2nd on the team with Rydqvist. The Hilton Head Island, S.C. native finished outside the top-30 just once in nine stroke play starts. Burnett competed as an individual twice, notching top-five finishes each time. She had a career-week at the Landfall Tradition in the fall with a solo third finish thanks to a new 54-hole career low score of 212 (-4). She finished T-4th at the ECU Invitational back on April 1, shooting 217 (+1).

FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC

Caitlyn Macnab, Ole Miss (SEC Championship Medalist)

Lauren Kim, Texas

Anna Davis, Auburn

Louise Rydqvist, South Carolina

Hannah Darling, South Carolina

Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, Texas A&M

Maria José Marin, Arkansas

Farah Okeefe, Texas

Rocio Tejedo, LSU

Eila Galitsky, South Carolina

Kendall Todd, Arkansas

SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC

Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M

Avery Weed, Mississippi State

Reagan Zibilski, Arkansas

Clarisa Temelo, Arkansas

Cindy Hsu, Texas

Aine Donegan, LSU

Ava Merrill, Vanderbilt

Nicole Gal, Ole Miss

Maylis Lamoure, South Carolina

Sophia Burnett, South Carolina 

COACH OF THE YEAR

Kalen Anderson, South Carolina 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Maria José Marin, Arkansas

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Louise Rydqvist, South Carolina

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Rocio Tejedo, LSU

Eila Galitsky, South Carolina

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR

Chantal El Chaib, Georgia

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M

Eila Galitsky, South Carolina

Jessica Guiser, Florida

Rocio Tejedo, LSU

Clarisa Temelo, Arkansas

Kyra Van Kan, Tennessee

Josefin Widal, LSU

Balma Dávalos, Auburn

Kajsalotta Svarvar, Ole Miss

Addison Klonowski, Florida

COMMUNITY SERVICE TEAM

Harriet Lockley, Alabama

Kendall Todd, Arkansas

Elle Squires, Auburn

Sarunchana Rattanasin, Florida

Morgan Smith, Georgia

Cathryn Brown, Kentucky

Taylor Riley, LSU

Nicole Gal, Ole Miss

Izzy Pellot, Mississippi State

Addie Dobson, Missouri

Louise Rydqvist, South Carolina

Bailey Davis, Tennessee

Mia Nixon, Texas A&M

Meghan Meserole, Vanderbilt

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