CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charleston Southern senior Katie Stephens has been named the Big South Golfer of the Year, the conference announced Thursday morning. Stephens becomes the third Buccaneer to win the award in school history (Patricia Martinson in 1999 and 2000 & Olivia Jordan-Higgins in 2009).

In addition to her Golfer of the Year award, Stephens also earned a spot on the All-Conference First-Team and the All-Academic Team. Joining Stephens on the First-Team was fellow senior Eugenie Varet. This marked Stephens' second career selection to the First-Team and Varet's first.

Stephens took the Big South by storm in her senior campaign. The Middlesbrough, England native claimed three individual titles this year (Fripp Island Intercollegiate, Battle at the Beach, and Golfweek/Stifel Spring Challenge) and led the Bucs to two team titles (Fripp Island Intercollegiate and Battle at the Beach). Stephens was named Big South Golfer of the Week three times this season following each of her tournament wins. She earned six Top-10 finishes during the regular season and finished fourth in the conference in scoring average (73.08).

During the Big South Championship, Stephens was instrumental in leading CSU's comeback during round three of stroke play. She caught fire on the day, shooting a 67 as the Bucs climbed back to force a three-team playoff and eventually claim the final spot in Match Play. Against #1 High Point in the semifinals, Stephens earned CSU's lone point as she was leading Ella Perna 1UP through 17 holes at the time of the decision.

Varet took a massive step forward during the 2025-26 season as she captured First-Team honors for the first time in her career. The Maule, France native won her first ever individual title earlier this year at the RiverTowne Intercollegiate and was a two-time Big South Golfer of the Week winner during the regular season. Varet finished tied for second in the conference in scoring average with a 73.04. Her seven top-10 finishes this year were tied for the most of any golfer in the Big South.

At the Big South Championship, Varet was CSU's most consistent performer across all three rounds of stroke play. She tied for fifth overall with a three-round total of 220 (4-over par). Varet carded rounds of 74, 73, and 73, delivering elite play across all three rounds to finish among the tournament's top performers. Varet's top-five finish earned her a spot on the Big South All-Championship Team.

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