WKU Women’s Golf is hot off the heels of its best season in program history.
The Lady Toppers surpassed all expectations, earning their first-ever Conference USA title. WKU was also home to the CUSA Individual title for just the second time ever.
Senior Sydney Hackett brought home the individual title after a shootout with New Mexico State’s Emma Bunch to make history. Hackett had a career day to finish off the CUSA championship, shooting five below par, jumping from third to first in the final round.
In Hackett’s senior season, she has already set another record for the Lady Toppers before the spring season began. Hackett was named the No. 55 golfer in the country, the highest-ranked in WKU history.
“It means a lot. It shows that all the work that I’m putting in is paying off,” Hackett said. “I don’t take it for granted at all because golf can change in an instant.”
With such a major accolade, Hackett has been able to stay present in her senior season and help the Lady Toppers improve from their historic season a year ago.
“Going back-to-back, that would be historic for every aspect of our program. Just doing it with this group of girls would be so cool, and it’s something we all really want,” Hackett said.
Hackett immediately made an impact for the Lady Toppers in her freshman year, becoming the first Lady Topper to earn CUSA freshman of the year.
“Sydney never came on a visit. It was during COVID so it was a leap of faith kind of. She won her first-ever tournament and kind of never looked back,” Head Coach Adam Gary said.
Hackett made history before stepping foot on the Hill in her freshman season. She was the highest-ranked recruit in program history.
Despite golf being a predominantly individual sport, the Lady Toppers have continuously built their team chemistry. With eight players on the roster, five of them were a part of the historic season last year.
“We do a really good job of leaving the golf at the golf course. We try and keep it very light and cheer everyone on,” Hackett said.
Hackett has quickly become a leader for the Lady Toppers, being one of the three seniors on the roster. Hackett recalls her freshman year like it was yesterday, “it’s kind of freaky being a senior already.”
“She leads by example. She is one of the hardest workers on the team, a great teammate,” Gary said. “She leads a lot of our practices and even some of our note-taking prep for tournaments coming up.”
In the new landscape of collegiate sports with the transfer portal and NIL money, Hackett has made her home at WKU and leaves as a history-maker for the Lady Toppers.
Team chemistry is crucial, despite golf being an individual sport. Gary mentioned how this team does everything together outside of the golf course and how that translates to the course.
“I’ve definitely come out of my shell, especially the group of girls we have,” Hackett said. “We allow each and every one of us to be super comfortable.”
