ORLANDO-- The UCF women's golf team is getting ready for a new season under 11th year head coach Emily Marron along with some new additions. New assistant coach Ellen Secor who was previously at UNC Charlotte and Oregon 5th year transfer Brittany Shin.
The Knights would finish in second place in last season's AAC conference championship and would have a 7th place finish in the NCAA Regional championship behind strong individual performances from Jess Baker and Tunrada “Pat” Piddon throughout the season.
The Black and Gold kick-off the season at the Cougar Classic hosted by Charleston. The Knights will tee off on Monday, September 11 at 8:30 a.m. at Yeamans Country Club.
Cougar Classic Line-up:
Tunrada "Pat" Piddon was a key player for the Knights last season, especially in the early going. The Thailand native was the top finisher for the Knights in 5 of the first 6 tournaments of the season with her best finish coming in the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate (Knoxville, Tenn.) tournament at (–11). Even finishing outside of the knight's top finisher, Piddon would still prove to be a major contributor consistently finishing in the overall top 10 five times. Look for her to lead the charge in 2023-2024 as the marinated graduate student.
Brittany Shin, the 5th year transfer out of the University of Oregon and Cape Coral, Florida native will bring all the experience a 5th year can have. Returning to her home state will surely play to Brittany’s advantage, having played some of her best golf here and already being familiarized with the courses. Shin, claimed her first collegiate victory at UNF Collegiate in March 2020, shooting 1 over with a 70-75-72 performance.
Pimpisa “Sandwich” Sisutham, a sophomore with lots of potential looking to unleash in the 2023-2024 season showed flashes of greatness last season. Scoring an average of 72.22 for the season. Recorded a career-low 62 (-8) at the Gators Invitational and won the tournament with a 36-hole score of 133 (-7).
Molly Smith, a freshman with a ton of experience in golf tournaments around the country. Smith was named 2021 Massachusetts Girls Junior Player of the Year. Along with earning a first-place finish in the 2021 Ouimet Memorial Tournament and AJGA Spot X Junior tournament. Most recently, she was a USGA World Amateur Qualifier.
Jess Baker, the senior out of Newcastle England ended the 2022-2023 season with a hot club as she would place the highest finish for the Knights in 3 of the last 4 tournaments which included one of the most important tournaments on the schedule, the conference championship in which she came 3rd overall. Baker will return to the Briars Creek invitational this upcoming season where she will seek to get UCF a first 1st place finish after coming in 2nd place last season and one of her best overall finishes at (–5).
Emma Baier rounds out the lineup, competing as an individual. Baier, a freshman is a member of the Ecuadorian National Team. She has won three separate Ecuadorian amateur events. Currently, she is ranked No. 2 on the Ecuadorian National Team.