Women's Golf | 7/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Director of athletics Dr. Scott Smith announced today that Braydon Bennett takes over the helm for the Barry U women's golf program in the summer of 2025, coming from NCAA Divsion II powerhouse Dallas Baptist University in Texas. Bennett becomes the seven coach in program history since it began in 1998.

"I look forward to the new era of women's golf at Barry University under Braydon's leadership," Smith said. "He comes from a program of distinguished success and I am confident that he will bring the same success to our program."

He spent three seasons at DBU as an assistant coach for the men's and women's golf programs, winning two women's golf national championships and finishing tied for third the other year.

In 2024-25, he helped lead the Patriots to another national title, as they recorded five tournament victories, highlighted by a dominant showing at the NCAA National Championships in Boulder City, Nev. After finishing atop the team leaderboard in stroke play, DBU went on to clinch the national title in medal match play, 4-1 over Central Missouri. Their final rank was third with a 290.7 average. The men's team posted four top-5 finishes and advanced to the medal match in the Lone Star Conference. They ranked #44 with a 291.2 average. 

In the 2023-2024 season, the Patriots saw abundant success from both programs. The women's team finished the season with six wins and two runner-up finishes. This includes a conference championship and a West Regional runner-up. The Patriots lost in the semi-final match of the National Championships. They also finished the year ranked #1 in the country, with an all-time low 289.2 scoring average. The men's team finished the season with four wins and two runner-up finishes. The Patriots won their first conference championship since 2016 and improved their national ranking from #49 to #8 in one season.

During his first year with the program in 2022-23, the women's team won their second NCAA Division II National Championship. DBU won seven tournaments during the season, including the West Regional title. At the NCAA National Championships at the Fox Run Golf Club in Eureka, Mo., the Patriots finished atop the team leaderboard through three rounds of action. In medal match play, DBU defeated Nova Southeastern, 3-2, in the finals to capture the national championship. Also that season, the men's team finished with one tournament win and two runner-up finishes. Additionally, they improved their national ranking from No. 97 to No. 49 in one season. 

"I am grateful to have the opportunity to be welcomed into such a great athletic program," Bennett said. "Winning is contagious at Barry University and I'm pumped to get to work. I've been fortunate to be a part of some incredible golf programs throughout my career and have seen that golf offers so much to student-athletes on and off the course. I plan to bring enthusiasm, creativity, and strong work ethic to this program and I hope that it becomes just as contagious."

Bennett graduated with his master's degree at DBU in sports management in 2024.

Before DBU, Bennett attended Texas A&M University. For three years, Bennett served as a student manager for the men's and women's golf programs and assisted the director of golf operations. In Bennett's senior year at Texas A&M, the women's golf team finished third in the nation. 

Bennett graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology with a focus in motor behavior. While attending A&M, Bennett was also involved in the wakeboarding team and the mountain sports club and served as a volunteer for Breakaway Ministries. 

Prior to his time at Texas A&M, Bennett graduated high school from Midlothian Heritage, where he was a dual-sport athlete in basketball and golf, earning all-region awards in both.