ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum University's Reagan Padilla has been named the 2026 South Atlantic Conference Women's Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year. She becomes the fourth player in program history to earn this recognition.
The SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the conference's championship sports and is selected by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives committee. Winners are selected based on their achievements in academics and athletics.
Padilla graduated from Tusculum last Saturday with magna cum laude honors. She finished her undergraduate studies with a 3.76 cumulative grade point average while majoring in sport science.
She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She is a two-time recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award and a three-time Women's Golf Coaches' Association All-America Scholar.
During her four years with the Pioneers, she posted a 76.30 career stroke average, which is the second lowest in school history. She played in a TU-record 96 career rounds and finished in the top-20 on 25 occasions which are tied for the fourth-most by a Pioneer. She also recorded 19 top-10 finishes (4th in TU history) including 13 times in the top-five (T2nd in TU history).
Padilla claimed individual medalist honors twice during her collegiate career, winning the 2023 King Invitational and the 2024 Converse Invitational. She twice earned SAC All-Tournament honors in 2024 and 2025. In 2025, she qualified as an individual competitor at the NCAA Division II South Region Championship.
She established a Tusculum record by finishing in the top-20 in 22 consecutive tournaments. She was named to the NCAA II Academic All-District first team as selected by the College Sports Communicators.
Padilla joins fellow SAC Women's Golf Scholar Athletes from Tusculum: Brooke Robbins (2003), Jillian Corum (2013) and Katie Tomassoni (2018).
