Written by Chris O’Dell
Lady Bison golf coach Dr. Nicky Boyd was named the Gulf South Conference Women’s Golf Coach of the Year this week. Boyd was named after a vote between the conference’s coaches.
Boyd, who just finished his second season as the women’s golf coach, is the second Harding coach this season to receive a Coach of the Year award. Head cross-country coach Steve Guymon won the award earlier this season.
Boyd coached the men’s golf team for 14 seasons before crossing over to the Lady Bison team in 2008. During his first season with the women’s team, the Lady Bisons finished sixth in the GSC championship.
Golfers Brandi Watkins and Natalie Gay both earned All-GSC honors and became the first two Harding women’s golfers on the GSC’s All-Conference Team. Watkins was also Academic All-GSC.
Boyd played golf and basketball at Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Ark., from 1965-1969. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from Henderson State in 1969.
In 1976, he received his master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Arkansas and in 1994, he earned his doctorate from the University of Memphis in educational leadership. Apart from women’s coaching duties, Boyd also serves as the director of the Walton Scholarship Program.
Earlier this week, Boyd’s team finished third at the GSC Tournament, the highest finish ever by the women’s golf team. Freshman Whitney Ohlhausen, a psychology major from Dallas, earned First Team All-GSC honors and was named Freshman of the Year.
Freshman So-Yun Kim also earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. The Lady Bisons shot 319 in the first round and followed with a 327 in the second round to finish at 646.
The total was 23 shots better than the Lady Bisons’ previous best of 669 in the 2008 tournament.
Boyd’s former team also finished with a best-ever. The men’s team placed eighth in the GSC Championship to earn its highest ever finish in the tournament.
Bison golfers Blake Chase and Brandon Cauldwell recorded a program first Wednesday, becoming the first two Bison golfers to earn All-Gulf South Conference honors since Harding joined the GSC for the 2001 season. Both were named Second Team All-GSC.
Chase, a freshman from Colleyville, Texas, had Harding’s best scoring average this season at 76.3 strokes per round. He had two top five finishes this season, including a season best second-place finish at the Bison Fall Golf Classic.
Chase tied a school record by shooting a 66 in round one of that event. His stroke average this season ranks 12th best on Harding’s single-season list.
Cauldwell, a freshman from Ozark, Mo., was Harding’s top finisher at the GSC Championship. He placed 12th with a three-round score of four over 220. Cauldwell’s stroke average was 77.0 strokes per round.
His best finish of the season was fourth place at the William Woods Fall Invitational. Cauldwell shot a season-best two-round score of 147 at that event.
Both Harding golf teams will look to improve on their continued success next season when Boyd enters his third season as the Lady Bison golf coach.
