Knights earn AAC awards, head to NCAA tournament
For the third straight season, the UCF women’s golf team is headed to the NCAA tournament championship.
The Knights, who finished third at the American Athletic Conference championship, are headed to the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional as a 5-seed at their regional site.
“We’re excited,” UCF coach Emily Marron said shortly after the announcement Wednesday night. “I think if we play our best, we can compete with anybody. We’re up for the task.”
UCF will be joined by No. 1 seed San Jose State, 2-seed Virginia, 3-seed Michigan, 4-seed Arkansas, 6-seed Virginia Tech, 7-seed North Carolina, 8-seed Washington, 9-seed Ohio State, 10-seed Pepperdine, 11-seed Xavier and 12-seed Oakland.
The top four teams and two individuals from each regional will advance to the national championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, which takes place May 20-25.
The Knights need to first advance past the Ann Arbor regional to make it to Arizona. UCF’s regional round will take place from May 9-11 at the University of Michigan Golf Course.
Marron explained what it will take to advance to the national championship round.
“You have to get off to a good start. That’s one of our keys,” Marron said. “And have contributions from all five players. Obviously, your No. 1 player has to play well but you have to 1-5, everybody has to chip in.
“Whether it’s the first round, second or third, you have to have consistency from all five players to get to the national championship,” she added.
UCF is led by junior Tunrada Piddon, who on Tuesday was named AAC Player of the Year and earned her second straight All-Conference selection.
Piddon, who has posted a teambest 71.36 scoring average to this point, is the first conference player of the year for UCF since Ashley Holder in the 2016-17 season.
“It means a lot to me,” Piddon said. “I’m really happy for myself and proud. This award is for my team. We play together.”
In addition to Piddon, UCF’s Zoe Allaux was named Freshman of the Year after finishing in the top 20 in six events this season. Allaux is the first UCF freshman to earn the honor since 2018-19.
Allaux and Piddon are joined by sophomore Camille Banzet as UCF’s three selections for the all-conference team. UCF, along with Tulane and Houston, led all AAC programs with three all-conference selections.
In 10 years as UCF’s head coach, Marron has led the Knights to six NCAA tournament appearances as well as two conference championships and has twice been named AAC Coach of the Year.
Last season, Marron’s squad made it to the NCAA regional championship in Louisville, Kentucky, where the Knights finished tied for eighth out of 18 teams after failing to advance past the regional round.
The Knights last made the national championship round during the 2018-19 season when the team finished 22nd.
That trip marked just the third time in program history that the Knights punched their ticket to the national championship round.
Marron is hoping to advance once again.
“No matter what, anything can happen at regionals,” Marron said. “Those three days you have to play your best. I like our chances there.”