University of South Florida head women's golf coach
Erika Brennan announced the addition of Dalton Stevens to the staff as the Bulls' new assistant coach on June 11, 2018.
Stevens made an instant impact during the program's uprising in 2018-19. USF captured two tournament titles - Florida Challenge and John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate - and posted a pair of runner-up finishes at the USA Intercollegiate and FIU Pat Bradley Invitational while becoming the second-fastest rising program in the country.
Aside from winning two tournaments in 2018-19, USF set several program records, including season scoring average (293.43), team rounds of par or better (6), season eagles (7), par-3 scoring average (3.1597), par-4 scoring average (4.1882) and par-5 scoring average (5.0319). The Bulls also set school records for 54-hole total and 54-hole total vs. par for a par-72 tournament with a 1-over 865 at the FIU Pat Bradley Invitational, where the team placed second on Oct. 23, 2018.
The 2018-19 Bulls placed in the top 10 in all eight of their tournaments with fields of at least 12 teams. USF capped off its impressive season with a fifth-place finish at The American Championship - four spots and 34 shots better than the program's performance at the 2018 conference tournament. By the end of the season, USF ranked No. 80 nationally, which was an improvement of 75 spots from the end of the 2017-18 season.
Aside from notable team success in 2018-19, freshman Ramya Meenakshisundaram earned all-conference honors after setting program records for scoring average (73.0) and par-4 scoring (4.1066) while tying the Bulls' top season mark with 12 rounds of par or better. Meenakshisundaram earned co-medalist honors at the Florida Challenge, which marked USF's first team tournament title victory since April 11, 2017.
Senior Natalia Villavicencio also shined in 2018-19, winning two tournaments and setting the school's season record for total birdies (90). Villavicencio also matched the program's low round and low round versus par records with a 6-under 66 in the second round of the Lady Paladin Invitational on Sept. 22, 2018.
On top of team success on the course, USF women's golf received a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA for the sixth straight year in 2019 for earning a high score in the most recent Academic Progress Rate (APR) compilation. USF earned a perfect multi-year APR score of 1,000 for the sixth straight year and ninth time overall to rank among the top 10 percent nationally in APR performance in its respective sport.
During the 2019-20 season, USF continued "The Uprising" with its third title victory since spring 2019. The host Bulls posted a 20-shot, wire-to-wire win at the Old Friends Invitational on Feb. 18 at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club. USF registered top-10 finishes in five of six events that featured at least 11 teams and placed inside the top five twice in those tournaments.
Stevens helped guide freshman Erika Smith to much success in 2019-20 that included three top-10 finishes and four top-25 performances in seven events. Smith was named AAC Women's Golfer of the Week on Feb. 19, one day after capturing her first career title at the Old Friends Invitational. The Orlando native carded three straight under-par scores (71-71-70) to finish with a 4-under 212 in her nine-shot victory at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club. In the fall, Smith set USF’s low-round record and tied the top mark for low round vs. par with a 6-under 64 in the final round of the Princess Anne Invitational on Oct. 6. Smith also reached a new program milestone for 54-hole scoring with a 207 on the way to tying for fifth in the 82-player field at the event.
During the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season, the Bulls found early success against at the FAU Paradise Invitational and closed the spring slate with a sixth-place conference finish. At the FAU Paradise Invitational, USF finished just three strokes off the lead and posted a then-record team score of 861.
The 2021-22 season saw the Bulls recorded a pair of runner-up finishes along with three other top-five finishes, including a fifth-place showing at the AAC Championship. Overall, USF posted its second-best scoring average in program history (294.32), second to only the mark set by the team in during the 2018-19 campaign (293.43).
The team opened the 2021-22 campaign by shooting a program-record 280 at the USA Intercollegiate and finished with a 54-hole record of 852 at that event. The Bulls went on to break the single-round record with a 279 (-9) and also set a record for round vs. par at the FAU Paradise Invitational.
Melanie Green continued to blossom, earning All-AAC honors for the second time in as many seasons and setting single-season program records for scoring average (71.97), rounds of par or better (19) and total birdies (111). Green won her first collegiate event at the Trinity Forest Invitational and closed the year by qualifying for the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.
Prior to USF, Stevens served as head coach for both the men's and women's golf programs at Bethany College in Kansas the past two seasons. Stevens earned Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2018 after leading the Bethany College men's team to a league championship while the women's program finished second.
"I am thrilled that Coach Stevens has joined us as we begin to elevate this program. I love that he comes in with head coaching experience, which will allow us to hit the ground running," Brennan said. "Dalton is personable and a dynamic recruiter, both things that were immediately evident in the interview process. We have a shared vision for this program and I'm looking forward to working alongside Coach Stevens as we continue to grow this into a championship program."
Stevens brings four seasons of collegiate coaching experience to the Bulls and certainly knows how to elevate a program. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native guided Bethany College's men's program to a second-place conference finish in his first season at the helm before leading the Swedes to a 12-shot victory at the league tournament this spring.
Stevens also helped the Bethany College women's team complete an impressive turnaround in his time with the program. After finishing fourth in the league in 2016-17, the Swedes were within four shots of the lead through three rounds and placed second in the conference this spring. Stevens also helped the women's program improve by 55 spots in the national Golfstat rankings in just two seasons.
"I am very excited to be joining the University of South Florida Bulls. I want to thank Coach Brennan for the opportunity to work alongside her to grow the USF women's golf program," Stevens said. "I look forward to the challenge of building a program with Coach Brennan that the USF community will be proud of. I'd also like to thank Athletic Director Dane Pavlovich and President Will Jones of Bethany College for allowing me the opportunity to be the head men's and women's golf coach the past two years. I am forever grateful for them."
Prior to Bethany College, Stevens served as an assistant in 2015-16 at Kirkwood Community College, where he coached three All-Americans. Stevens began his collegiate coaching career at Iowa Central Community College in 2014-15.
Stevens graduated with an Associate of Arts Degree in 2012 from Kirkwood Community College, where he earned PING All-Central Region honors and made two trips to the NJCAA national championship in his first two seasons as a student-athlete. Stevens played one season at Saint Xavier University in Chicago before finishing his collegiate career at Mount Mercy University in his hometown. Stevens earned his bachelor's degree in business administration (management) from Mount Mercy in 2014.
