The Radford women’s golf team began their defense of the conference title on Apr. 19, finishing the first round of the 2026 Big South Championship tied for second place out of nine teams at Fripp Island, South Carolina.
This early result is significant as it positions Radford among the leading contenders in a field that includes Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb, High Point, Longwood, Presbyterian, UNC Asheville, USC Upstate, and Winthrop. The tournament features 52 golfers competing over three rounds.
Mckenzie Weddle led Radford with a score of one-over-par (73), placing her sixth individually. She started strong with birdies on holes eight and ten and added another on the eighteenth hole. Caroline Gilreath also birdied her opening hole and matched Weddle with a birdie on eighteen; she finished five-over-par (77), tying for thirteenth along with teammates Grace Addison and Shea Smith. Addison recovered from an early setback to play either par or better over most of her final holes while Macy Johnson rounded out Radford’s scoring by finishing in the top half of competitors.
After round one at Ocean Creek Golf Course—a par-72 layout measuring 6,032 yards—Radford posted a team score of 304 (+16). All five Highlanders finished within the top half individually: Weddle (T-6th), Gilreath (T-13th), Addison (T-13th), Smith (T-13th), and Johnson (T-26th).
Radford will continue play tomorrow morning in round two starting around 9:48 a.m., with live results available through their athletics website. The team’s performance in this opening round keeps them well positioned as they pursue another championship.
