University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Kyndall Williams/Tennessee Athletics
Madison Messimer Named SEC Freshman of the Year; Garners All-SEC Honors Alongside Kyra Van Kan
May 01, 2026 | Women's Golf
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A historic season by the No. 16 Tennessee women's golf team has resulted in multiple all-conference honors for the Lady Vols, as announced by the Southeastern Conference on Friday.
Madison Messimer collected the SEC Freshman of the Year award, in addition to being named to the All-SEC First Team and the SEC All-Freshman team. Kyra Van Kan added to the honors for Tennessee, earning a spot on the All-SEC Second Team.
A crowning achievement of her debut season on Rocky Top, Messimer becomes just the fourth Lady Vol to ever be named SEC Freshman of the Year, and the first to do so since Violeta Retamoza in 2003. All three prior winners were named All-Americans at some point in their collegiate careers, while two out of the three, Retamoza and Young-A Yang, have been inducted into the UT Hall of Fame.
With All-SEC First Team and Second Team selections for Messimer and Van Kan, respectively, they become the 35th and 36th different Lady Vols to be named to an All-SEC team in program history, improving Tennessee's total number of All-SEC selections to 63. They are the first Tennessee women's golfers to appear in an All-SEC team since 2020, becoming the first all-conference honorees under the leadership of head coach Diana Cantú.
Wrapping up three distinct honors for Messimer, she was also named to the SEC All-Freshman team, marking the 11th time a Lady Vol has received the honor. Van Kan was on the 2025 SEC All-Freshman team, while Manassanan Chotikabhukkana also received All-Freshman recognition in 2023.
In what has been one of the best seasons in program history for Tennessee women's golf, Messimer has been a statistical leader for the Lady Vols. The freshman has finished in the top ten of a team-high seven tournaments this season, accumulating a team-best scoring average of 70.76, which is on track to become the program's single-season record. Her 19 rounds of par or better are tied for the most in a single season in program history, with the potential to set a new record during the team's upcoming NCAA regional.
After a fall season highlighted by a top three finish at the Canadian Collegiate Classic, Messimer found a new gear in the spring. She opened the calendar year with a runner-up finish at the Paradise Invitational, helping the Lady Vols to an impressive team victory. Messimer proceeded to claim her first individual collegiate win at the Chris Banister Golf Classic, an event where Tennessee also took home the team victory.
Perhaps most impressive, Messimer earned joint runner-up honors during stroke play at the SEC Championship, firing a 6-under-par 204 to lead the Lady Vols to match play. In match play, she was victorious in both the quarterfinal and semifinal, proving crucial in Tennessee's first ever SEC Championship triumph.
Van Kan had a stellar sophomore season for the Lady Vols consisting of 15 rounds of par or better, a 71.35 scoring average, nine rounds in the 60s, and four top 10 finishes. Her fall slate was highlighted by a top five finish at the Cougar Classic to open the season and a trip to Singapore to compete for South Africa at the World Amateur Team Championship.
The sophomore shifted into a new gear for the spring season, opening the calendar year with her first career win at the FAU Paradise Invitational, where she posted a dominant 10-under-par to also help Tennessee to the team title. In March, the Johannesburg, South Africa, native closed as runner up at the Chris Banister Golf Classic. At April's Clemson Invitational, Van Kan posted a 69 and 68 in rounds two and three, respectively, to earn her fourth top five finish of the season.
The crowning highlight of Van Kan's season, thus far, was her clutch performance at the SEC Championship. She was one of just two Lady Vols to win all three of her matches in the match play portion of the tournament, sinking the title-clinching putt in the final to deliver Tennessee its first SEC Championship in program history.
Up next, the Lady Vols will begin their quest for a second consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. The journey begins at the Waco NCAA Regional, which is set for May 11-13 at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco, Texas.
FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
Paula Francisco, Florida (SEC Championship Medalist)
Farah O'Keefe, Texas
Maria Jose Marin, Arkansas
Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M
Cindy Hsu, Texas
Avery Weed, Mississippi State
Lauren Kim, Texas
Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, Texas A&M
Madison Messimer, Tennessee
Megan Propeck, Florida
SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
Anna Davis, Auburn
Siuue Wu, Florida
Vairana Heck, South Carolina
Eila Galitsky, South Carolina
Abbey Schutte, Arkansas
Reagan Zibilski, Arkansas
Savannah Barber, Oklahoma
Ava Merrill, Vanderbilt
Cathryn Brown, Kentucky
Kyra Van Kan, Tennessee
Mary Miller, Ole Miss
COACH OF THE YEAR
Emily Glaser, Florida
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Farah O'Keefe, Texas
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Lynn Lim, Vanderbilt
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Madison Messimer, Tennessee
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Megan Propeck, Florida
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Madison Messimer, Tennessee
Charlotte Cantonis, Auburn
Brynn Kort, Texas A&M
Ebba Liljeberg, Missouri
Trinity Beth, Georgia
Katelyn Huber, Florida
Sara Brentcheneff, Arkansas
Ryleigh Knaub, LSU
Madison Messimer collected the SEC Freshman of the Year award, in addition to being named to the All-SEC First Team and the SEC All-Freshman team. Kyra Van Kan added to the honors for Tennessee, earning a spot on the All-SEC Second Team.
A crowning achievement of her debut season on Rocky Top, Messimer becomes just the fourth Lady Vol to ever be named SEC Freshman of the Year, and the first to do so since Violeta Retamoza in 2003. All three prior winners were named All-Americans at some point in their collegiate careers, while two out of the three, Retamoza and Young-A Yang, have been inducted into the UT Hall of Fame.
With All-SEC First Team and Second Team selections for Messimer and Van Kan, respectively, they become the 35th and 36th different Lady Vols to be named to an All-SEC team in program history, improving Tennessee's total number of All-SEC selections to 63. They are the first Tennessee women's golfers to appear in an All-SEC team since 2020, becoming the first all-conference honorees under the leadership of head coach Diana Cantú.
Wrapping up three distinct honors for Messimer, she was also named to the SEC All-Freshman team, marking the 11th time a Lady Vol has received the honor. Van Kan was on the 2025 SEC All-Freshman team, while Manassanan Chotikabhukkana also received All-Freshman recognition in 2023.
In what has been one of the best seasons in program history for Tennessee women's golf, Messimer has been a statistical leader for the Lady Vols. The freshman has finished in the top ten of a team-high seven tournaments this season, accumulating a team-best scoring average of 70.76, which is on track to become the program's single-season record. Her 19 rounds of par or better are tied for the most in a single season in program history, with the potential to set a new record during the team's upcoming NCAA regional.
After a fall season highlighted by a top three finish at the Canadian Collegiate Classic, Messimer found a new gear in the spring. She opened the calendar year with a runner-up finish at the Paradise Invitational, helping the Lady Vols to an impressive team victory. Messimer proceeded to claim her first individual collegiate win at the Chris Banister Golf Classic, an event where Tennessee also took home the team victory.
Perhaps most impressive, Messimer earned joint runner-up honors during stroke play at the SEC Championship, firing a 6-under-par 204 to lead the Lady Vols to match play. In match play, she was victorious in both the quarterfinal and semifinal, proving crucial in Tennessee's first ever SEC Championship triumph.
Van Kan had a stellar sophomore season for the Lady Vols consisting of 15 rounds of par or better, a 71.35 scoring average, nine rounds in the 60s, and four top 10 finishes. Her fall slate was highlighted by a top five finish at the Cougar Classic to open the season and a trip to Singapore to compete for South Africa at the World Amateur Team Championship.
The sophomore shifted into a new gear for the spring season, opening the calendar year with her first career win at the FAU Paradise Invitational, where she posted a dominant 10-under-par to also help Tennessee to the team title. In March, the Johannesburg, South Africa, native closed as runner up at the Chris Banister Golf Classic. At April's Clemson Invitational, Van Kan posted a 69 and 68 in rounds two and three, respectively, to earn her fourth top five finish of the season.
The crowning highlight of Van Kan's season, thus far, was her clutch performance at the SEC Championship. She was one of just two Lady Vols to win all three of her matches in the match play portion of the tournament, sinking the title-clinching putt in the final to deliver Tennessee its first SEC Championship in program history.
Up next, the Lady Vols will begin their quest for a second consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. The journey begins at the Waco NCAA Regional, which is set for May 11-13 at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco, Texas.
FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
Paula Francisco, Florida (SEC Championship Medalist)
Farah O'Keefe, Texas
Maria Jose Marin, Arkansas
Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M
Cindy Hsu, Texas
Avery Weed, Mississippi State
Lauren Kim, Texas
Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio, Texas A&M
Madison Messimer, Tennessee
Megan Propeck, Florida
SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
Anna Davis, Auburn
Siuue Wu, Florida
Vairana Heck, South Carolina
Eila Galitsky, South Carolina
Abbey Schutte, Arkansas
Reagan Zibilski, Arkansas
Savannah Barber, Oklahoma
Ava Merrill, Vanderbilt
Cathryn Brown, Kentucky
Kyra Van Kan, Tennessee
Mary Miller, Ole Miss
COACH OF THE YEAR
Emily Glaser, Florida
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Farah O'Keefe, Texas
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Lynn Lim, Vanderbilt
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Madison Messimer, Tennessee
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Megan Propeck, Florida
ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Madison Messimer, Tennessee
Charlotte Cantonis, Auburn
Brynn Kort, Texas A&M
Ebba Liljeberg, Missouri
Trinity Beth, Georgia
Katelyn Huber, Florida
Sara Brentcheneff, Arkansas
Ryleigh Knaub, LSU
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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