BUENA VISTA, Va. — The USA South Athletic Conference has announced its 2026 women's golf all-conference awards, with Southern Virginia's Sydney Richards earning Golfer of the Year honors.

Richards, a junior from Farmington, Utah, becomes the first Knight in program history to receive the USA South Women's Golfer of the Year award. She is currently ranked No. 17 in Division III according to Clippd and leads the conference with a 73.9 scoring average across 14 rounds.

In seven events this season, Richards has recorded seven rounds of par or better, along with six top-five finishes and three individual titles.

For her performance, Richards earned all-conference honors for the third consecutive season, including her second straight first-team selection, and was named USA South Golfer of the Week four times.

She captured individual titles at the Bridgewater Invitational (+2), the Greenbrier Intercollegiate Invitational (-4), and the VWU Marlins Invitational (+5)

The Southern Virginia University women's golf team, now ranked No. 40 nationally, will look to continue its strong season at the USA South Women's Golf Championship, beginning Monday, April 20, in Sanford, North Carolina.

For the latest updates on Southern Virginia University golf, visit knightathletics.com or follow @knightwgolf on Instagram.