By CARSON STARNES
Triangle contributing writer
They aren’t just chasing birdies, they’re chasing history.
The Wingate women’s golf team has been teeing off this fall with one goal in mind: to prove that a small school can make a big-time statement.
The Bulldogs won four of the five tournaments they competed in this semester, finishing 2025 as the nation’s top-ranked Division 2 team, more than six rating points ahead of No. 2 Dallas Baptist.
Individually, three Wingate women finished among the top 20 players in the nation, all of them international student-athletes: junior Jackie Gonzalez Howard (No. 16) of Mexico and sophomores Olivia Meinecke (No. 7) from Germany and Amely Bochaton (No. 1, France).
Last season, with Bochaton earning national Freshman-of-the-Year and All-America honors, the Bulldogs were ranked as high No. 2 nationally, won the South Atlantic Conference title and made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach J.D. Lamm began building this “dream team” when he took the Wingate job four years ago and his work has paid off, as the Bulldogs are eyeing their first national championship in the spring.
You can point to Lamm’s tireless recruiting work as a big reason that goal is a realistic one. His process has no boundaries. Like other highly successful non-revenue teams at Wingate, he’s attracting the best players from all over the world. In fact, five of the team’s 10 players are from outside the U.S.
How does he do it?
“From personal contacts and relationships all over the world,” said Lamm, the reigning SAC Coach of the Year. “Each country has a company that these players work with, and through relationships that I have built over the years they will send me profiles of players. I can then decide which players might be a good fit for Wingate.”
Recruiting a team is the first step, but it’s up to the players to work together and find a rhythm to be successful within the sport.
“So far, our key to success has been developing the culture we have now,” Lamm said. “It’s where every individual on the team is putting the work in not for themselves but for everyone on the team—doing it for something bigger than themselves because they realize slacking off in practice affects a lot more than just themselves.”
Bochaton, whose immediate success drew interest from Division 1 programs, culminating in her recent signing with the University of Alabama for the 2026-27 season, said that you have to have really good friendships with teammates because it creates a good environment to play in.
“This team is now a part of my life and I am so grateful to play with them every tournament and I cannot wait for the spring season to come,” Bochaton said.
Along with having a good atmosphere with the team, the Wingate women also work very hard in training. The plan of attack for the Bulldogs in practice this year was less mechanical work on the range and more playing on an actual course so they could working on in-match situations.
“Practicing on the range and practicing on a course are two completely different things,” said Bochaton, “and I think we improve more when we play on the course.”
Another international Wingate golfer, senior Thalia Perez of Spain, says the focus on playing actual rounds over practices has been productive. When the Bulldogs go into a tournament, they feel more prepared than in years’ past.
“In terms of practice, we’ve been trying to play the course as often as possible and keep a consistent routine to continue improving both our competitive edge and overall game,” Perez said.
Lamm’s team has completed only half of their season, so there’s much more to left achieve in the spring. Through good coaching, recruiting, practicing hard and building a supportive atmosphere, the Bulldogs know they have enough to win the school’s first NCAA golf championship.
“This team has become my family,” Perez said. “We created a place where we can all be ourselves and, if something happens, we always know that we have each other’s backs.”
The Bulldogs will open their quest for a national title when their spring season opens Feb.16-17 at the Battle at Hilton Head (S.C.) on the Robert Trent Jones Course at Palmetto Dunes.
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