The women’s golf team wraps up their inaugural MAAC championship tournament.
@MJASPERSGOLF / INSTGRAM
Barbara Vasquez Editor-in-Chief
The Manhattan University (MU) golf program has swung back from recent years and reinvigorated their place on campus.
The women’s golf team has just finished their inaugural season here at MU. Previously, MU only supported a men’s golf team, with the women’s side opening up this past year. In a statement from GoJaspers, previous president Milo Riverso spoke on the importance of adding this new team, alongside a few others, to the school’s roster.
“Adding three sports teams: women’s golf, acrobatics and tumbling, and men’s volleyball, will not only expand our tremendous sports program; it will also provide three new opportunities to shape well-rounded Manhattan College graduates,” Riverso said.
The acrobatics and tumbling team was the only team to not fulfill their place on the roster last year, instead being added in the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year. However, both men’s volleyball and women’s golf were added last year, with women’s golf having a historic first season. The team even made history months before officially coming to campus, all by signing golf team standout Peyton Factor and Madison Long.
“When Indigenous golfers Maddison Long and Peyton Beans Factor take to the links at Manhattan University this fall, a bit of history will be made: No two Native American women have ever anchored a Division 1 collegiate golf program, until now,” according to an article from ICT News.
Though they made their name known even before their signing, the golf team only expanded in its notoriety around campus after they began competition. In their first competition of the year at the Le Moyne Orange Tree Invitational, the team claimed victory through various team efforts, leaving both the men’s and women’s team winning their first competition of the year. They continued to perform well at meets following this victory, meeting the high standards set for the team by head coach Keith Prokop at the beginning of the year.
The team ended their inaugural season with the MAAC tournament, with senior golfer Nawel Ben Letaief leading the team’s efforts. Letaief finished the competition in seventh place, alongside being named to the Women’s Golf All-Championship team by MAAC sports. In a statement to GoJaspers, coach Prokop reflected on the success of the team’s first season.
“It was nice to hear everyone complimenting our program on a successful first year, but I know that this program truly has a tremendous group of young women and will be very successful in years to come,” Prokop said.
BARBARA VASQUEZ / THE QUADRANGLE
The program only looks to further expand, with a new golf simulator recently opening up in MU’s Jasper Hall. The golf simulator, officially titled the Jerry Wood Golf Simulation Center, is open for the golf team’s practice and student recreational use. In fact, this new simulator was a selling point for the school during Accepted Students Day (ASD), with it being advertised as a campus attraction to stop by.
“Step into one of the campus’s newest additions,” it states in the ASD event itinerary. “Take a few swings, test your driving, and enjoy a fun, relaxed experience between sessions—no prior golfing experience required. Our team will be on hand to help you get started and ensure everyone gets a turn.”
With an applaudable first season and now, dedicated spaces on campus, there is no doubt that the golf team is expanding their reach at the school. The team will continue in their efforts in the upcoming year.
“There is so much history in this university, we are ready to start some of our own,” coach Prokop said in a statement to GoJaspers.