University of North Carolina Asheville Women's Golf

The 2025-26 season marks Ross Cash's fourth season at the helm of the UNC Asheville Women's Golf program. During the 2024-25 season under Head Coach Ross Cash, the Bulldogs advanced to match play at the Big South Conference Championship for just the second time in program history. Asheville earned seven postseason awards, highlighted by Caroline Patterson being named Big South Newcomer of the Year. The Bulldogs recorded six top-five team finishes during the season, while Patterson became just the third individual tournament champion in program history with her victory at the Velvet Classic in September. Morgan Guepet tied the school record for most Freshman of the Week honors in a single season, earning the distinction four times. The program also achieved its highest national team ranking in school history (No. 156) and secured the best conference tournament seed in program history (No. 2). Following the team’s success, Cash was rewarded with a multi-year contract extension. Asheville posted four top-five finishes in 2023-24, with Phoebe Carles becoming Asheville's second-ever individual tournament champion at William and Mary's Kingsmill Invite in September. Asheville totaled five Big South Conference Women's Golfer of the Week awards, with Beryl Gilietti and Madyson Gold each winning the honor twice and Carles also earning it after her individual win. At the conclusion of the Big South Conference Championships, Gold and Claudia Salvador were named All-Conference Second Tea

A competitive golfer for more than forty years, Dr. Shawn Stewart brings a lifetime of experience to this role. He competed through junior golf and earned a place on the team at both Georgia Tech and the University of Virginia. During that time, he competed at the highest level, playing his way into the U.S. Amateur in 1992. He went on to earn his PhD in Sport Psychology from the University of Tennessee, focusing his research on personal growth experiences in college student-athletes. After serving as the Life Skills Director for the University of Kentucky Athletics Department, Dr. Stewart returned home to Richmond, VA, to launch a sports training business, which he operated for ten years, impacting athletes from beginners to pros. He has since stepped into leadership roles in business, ministry, and higher education. Throughout his career journey, Dr. Stewart has spent his time finding and unlocking the potential in others, whether in sports, education, or life. In his personal life, Dr. Stewart has been married for almost 30 years and has two daughters, both of whom are awesome. He lives in Lakeland, FL, and still enjoys teeing it up, even in the Florida heat.

Laura Smith has been on the Asheville women's golf coaching staff since Spring of 2022. "I'm happy to have been able to retain a valuable assistant in Laura ...