GORHAM, Maine – University of Southern Maine Director of Athletics Al Bean is proud to announce the addition of women's golf as a varsity sport beginning in the 2024-25 academic year.  USM Head Golf Coach Brian Bickford '87 will oversee both the men's and women's programs.  Women's golf will be the 12th varsity women's sport offered by the University.  The team will begin competition with a full schedule this coming fall and student-athletes already on campus who want to participate are encouraged to contact Coach Bickford.
 
 "I am excited to announce the addition of women's golf to the lineup of women's sports for the fall 2024 season.  We are pleased to provide this opportunity for women to play competitive golf at the collegiate level and look forward to building a very strong and competitive program." said Bean. "Golf is a lifetime sport, and each year we see an increase in the number of girls and women who are playing on a regular basis.  I am confident that Coach Bickford will provide an outstanding student-athlete experience for our golfers and will build a program that brings pride to the University."
 
Bickford took over the USM golf program in 2023 following the retirement of Reggie Grant and led the team to a fourth-place finish this past fall at the 2023 Little East Conference Championship. Bickford has had a long career coaching amateur golfers across various levels in the state of Maine, including serving as the golf coach at Greely High School for over a decade. While at Greeley, Bickford coached the boys' team to a 2020 Class A State Championship and under his tutelage the co-ed program produced six individual state champions.  Bickford also serves as Executive Director of the Maine State Golf Association (MSGA) and a member of the Maine Golf Hall of Fame.
 
"To start a women's golf program at college level (USM) is a dream come true," said Bickford. "Earning a college degree and playing NCAA Division III golf at the same time is an incredible experience that opens so many doors.  I am thrilled that we are able to create another opportunity for young women in Maine to play college golf.  I look forward to developing a very competitive program.  Support for this program, from the women's golf community in Maine, is off the charts!"
 
Bickford will be assisted by Erin Holmes, a former Division I golfer at Bucknell University and the 2023 Maine Women's Amateur Champion. A former golfer of Bickford's at Greely, Holmes was the 2016 State of Maine High School Girls Champion. She then went on to play collegiate golf at Bucknell, where she was a four-time Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar.  "Her record and ability to play at a very high level makes her a perfect fit for growing a golf program." Bickford said of his new assistant coach.
 
With the addition of women's golf, Huskies' Athletics will support 23 intercollegiate teams (12 women, 11 men).  Southern Maine will be the 19th Division III varsity women's golf program in New England and the fifth in the state of Maine. The addition makes USM the first public university in Maine to offer women's golf and the fifth in New England. Bowdoin College, Bates College and Husson University currently field programs while the University of New England will also be debuting a women's golf team in the 2024-25 academic year. Southern Maine will join the ranks of Keene State and Rhode Island College as Little East Conference members that offer women's golf. Fellow public universities Westfield State University and Worcester State University also have women's golf programs.
 
Women's golf, like men's golf, will be able to compete in both the fall and spring sports seasons with the NCAA Championships being held in May.  Southern Maine's home course is Riverside Golf Course in Portland.

Huskies' Athletics has supported women's athletics at the intercollegiate level for more than 50 years.  Beginning in 1967, five years before the enactment of Title IX, the University supported intercollegiate teams in field hockey, volleyball and basketball. In 1972, the Huskies added women's lacrosse to its roster, and since then the program has grown to included 11 varsity sports (field hockey, volleyball, women's cross country, women's soccer, women's tennis, women's basketball, women's indoor track & field, women's ice hockey, women's lacrosse, women's outdoor track & field, and softball) - the addition of women's golf will be USM's 12th women's program.