DC Women's Golf reloads as 2025-26 season opens

DEFIANCE, Ohio - Defiance's women's golf team enters its second season as an NAIA program with an infusion of young talent looking to fill some big shoes.

This season is the fifth under head coach Brad Doidge as the team endured an 11th-place finish at last year's WHAC Championship. Looking ahead to this year involves two noticeable absences following team leaders Winter Boroff and Isabelle Vance graduating in the spring. Boroff was the program's first all-conference finisher in 21 years when she cracked the top-10 at the 2024 HCAC Championship. At the close of her four years, she holds every major record in the program. Vance was a three-time Academic All-American and posted the third-lowest 18-hole average for her efforts last fall. In addition to two graduating seniors, junior Emily Momany had the opportunity to pursue veterinary school.

"We lost two really good seniors who really left their mark on the university," says Doidge. "We're going to lean on our two returners to be the direction of what we're trying to do this year." 

Coach Doidge brought in six freshmen to complement the two returning sophomores, who are Hailey Becker and Braylin Shaner. Madison Gray (Bucyrus, Ohio) and Magen Hines (Fremont, Ohio) are two newcomers that have potential to give the team a boost following very strong high school careers as state qualifiers.

Looking around the WHAC, defending champion Lawrence Tech has four all-conference golfers with remaining eligibility and finished first place in the preseason coaches poll. Third-place Cleary is also bringing back two all-conference finishers in hopes of joining the title contention at the spring championship. Defiance was voted to finish 11th place shortly behind UM-Dearborn in points.

"We're looking to improve on being more competitive. Working on long game with the drivers and overall trying to get better," says Doidge. DC's head coach also noted how he is encouraged by how this year's team came to campus prepared after putting in the individual work over the summer. "This group brings a lot of leadership. They were the number one players on their high school teams for a reason because they know how to play. That puts us in a position to be better than we were last year. We have more depth, so now we just have to go compete."

-JACKETS-