Augusta University golf teams join Southland Conference for 2021-22

By Carlos Rodriguez | Co-editor in chief

After seven seasons of competing as an associate member of the NCAA Division I Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, the Augusta University men’s golf team has joined the Southland Conference. 

Along with the men’s team, the women’s team also joined the Southland Conference, which also competes in Division I. Caroline Haase-Hegg’s Jaguar women weren’t in a conference and previously competed as a Division I independent. 

“Joining the Southland Conference is a fantastic new home for our men’s and women’s golf teams at Augusta University,” said AU men’s golf coach Jack O’Keefe. “We will now have some continuity with our programs being in the same conference competing for a championship each spring. I am excited for this new opportunity and challenge.”

While competing in the MEAC, the Jaguars won five straight conference titles from 2015-2019. They were unable to win their sixth title in 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the tournament. 

This past season the Jags were hit with unfortunate news that they’d be excluded from the MEAC Championship after a positive COVID-19 test within the program ruled them out. 

O’Keefe, a five-time MEAC coach of the year, was devastated the way the last two seasons ended for his team.

“Two years in a row now our season ended suddenly and without the chance to play for a conference championship,” he said. “Not being able to participate in the MEAC Golf Championship this spring was very disappointing for our student-athletes.”

In addition to Augusta’s golf teams joining the Southland Conference, Francis Marion University men’s team and Delaware State University women’s team joined the conference as well. 

For the 2021-22 season the Southland Conference men’s golf teams will consist of Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, New Orleans, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana to go along with the addition of Augusta and Francis Marion.

On the women’s side, Augusta and Delaware State will join Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. 

The Southland Conference has its offices in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

The men’s conference tournament will be hosted April 25-27 at Stonebridge Country Club in McKinney, Texas. The women’s tournament will be hosted April 18-20 with the location still to be determined. Winners of both tournaments will receive an automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I Golf Championship.

With the new season approaching, O’Keefe is looking forward to getting back to normalcy after a shortened fall season last year.

“We are looking for a normal season of golf for 2021-2022,” he said. “We have a full schedule of tournaments each semester and have a very strong schedule with some amazing tournaments to play in.”

 Contact Carlos Rodriguez at carlosjr521@gmail.com.