After a strong 2024-25 campaign, the NYU men’s and women’s golf teams are back in full swing. Led by head coach Brad Johnson, both teams are looking to build on their previous momentum this fall, with early results pointing to another promising season.
Last spring, the Violets excelled at the Liberty League Championship, with both the men’s and women’s teams finishing in the top three of seven teams. The women’s team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship, placing 19th out of 34 teams before getting eliminated. Five golfers from NYU made it onto the College Sports Communicators All-District At-Large teams.
Building on last year’s success, the women’s team started the 2025 fall season off strong on Sept. 8, clinching the title at the first tournament of the year, the UAA Championship. The Violets opened the tournament with a 5.5-0.5 win over Emory University followed by a 4-2 win over Washington University. The team closed out the tournament with a tie against Carnegie Mellon to land NYU in the No. 1 spot.
“Emory and Carnegie are our biggest contenders for nationals, so I think that was a really positive outcome,” senior Tiya Chowdary said. “Even at this tournament, I think we gave it a really good shot. I just think from here, there’s nowhere else but up.”
That momentum carried into the NCAA Preview in Palm Desert, CA on Sept. 13 and 14 where the team placed third out of 15 in both rounds.
This fall, there are a few minor changes to the roster. Former captain Madison Phung and teammate Nalinda Wanikpun graduated last spring, and first-years Jiayi Fu, Sophia Hong and Inha Jun, along with sophomore transfer Sonia Hao from Santa Clara University, filled out the roster for the 2025-26 season.
“I think this season we’ve had stronger recruits,” Chowdary said. “Our results are definitely looking better this season, and I’m pretty excited to see where the future is going to take us.”
The men’s team opened the season on a tougher note, losing all three matches at the UAA Championship. The Violets fell 4-2 to Carnegie Mellon and the University of Rochester on Sept. 8 before closing tournament play with a 4.5-1.5 loss to Emory the following day. Despite this setback, the team remains positive.
“Our team is slowly improving by each semester,” junior Jomyuth Luangtana-anan said. “Everyone is becoming more experienced and the culture is improving.”
Entering into the fall, the Violets have to navigate the loss of recent graduate Kevin Kim, who led the team last year with an average score of 72.7. However, the squad has gained first-years Qi Liu, Bryan Zhao and George Zhou.
The men showed resilience at the Duke Nelson Invitational, placing 12th in the opening round and tying for seventh in the second out of 20 teams — bouncing back from the previous weekend’s performance.
As the season progresses, both teams are focusing on teamwork and shared growth. Practice remains a challenge, with the Violets traveling over to New Jersey for course access, but the teams are making the most of their limited time. Both teams have integrated during practices in hopes of competing against each other in practices to expand their bandwidth and push each other.
“They have their strengths, and the sport is played kind of differently for men’s and women’s, to an extent,” Luangtana-anan said. “We can learn from them and they can learn from us which I think will be great.”
Next, the women’s team will compete in the Williams Fall Invitational on Sept. 27 at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, MA. The men are scheduled to take on the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Collegiate Invitational on Oct. 5 at Shaker Ridge Country Club in Albany, NY.
Contact Emily Barbire at [email protected].
