ACU Sports Podcast: Women's Golf's Ryann Honea & Rob Bennett
5/5/2026 3:14:00 PM | Women's Golf
ACU senior golfer Ryann Honea and head coach Rob Bennett talk about their years together going back to Louisville, Honea's record-breaking career with the Wildcats, and the Honea's third straight NCAA Regional appearance in Waco on May 11-13.
The ACU Sports Podcast brings you closer to the Wildcat coaches and student-athletes you cheer for. We strive to tell the story of ACU Athletics in a deeper way. Listen for free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Below is a partial transcription of the podcast.
Can you guys go through the recruiting story of how you guys first connected to be at Louisville together out of San Angelo Central High School?
Rob Bennett: I was at Louisville just for one year, came in and was talking with the head coach there on, hey, who are we recruiting and targeting for the next class? What do we need to do and just going through different athletes having some visits, but of course, Ryann's name was high up on our list. I'd actually never watched her play, but the previous assistant coach had. I didn't really know much about her, but it was cool to get to know her and her family, but through the recruiting process a little bit, they came on a visit. Ryann obviously liked it well enough and ended up committing to Louisville.
The crazy part about that is I didn't get to coach her there. I left the summer before her freshman year to come here to start the program. So I recruited her and was like, hey, things are cool here and a lot of times they were, but I also think we had a good connection and then I was like, oh by the way, I'm leaving, and so I know she's got a story, her own story with that but it was great to. It was unique to get to recruit her to Louisville, but then also back here to ACU once she went in the portal. Very different and unique. I'm not sure how many coaches have had that happen in their careers, but I have, I'm glad, I'm glad she came back to ACU.
Ryann Honea: I kind of wanted to stay in the Texas area, but then with COVID years, with 5th year spots that people were getting on the rosters, those schools are obviously dwindling. I had a friend who I grew up playing golf with, her name is Gabby Betancourt. She was a freshman at Louisville on the team at the time. I knew of Coach Bennett from ACU men's golf just cause San Angelo and Abilene not too far away, and I was good friends with Karson Grigsby, so I just heard of Coach Bennett from the small West Texas talk. When he moved up to Louisville and Gabby was like, hey, come on and visit, two people I knew from familiar areas, so I was like, well, if Coach B just made the move from Abilene to Louisville, he must enjoy it up there.
Ended up going on a visit and it was good and then obviously committed and signed. I went for orientation and we had a good old lunch and then about a month later, he called and he was like, hey, I just wanna let you know that I'm headed back to Abilene to start the women's program, and I was like, oh, you gotta be kidding me, this stinks. But I ended up going and played freshman year there and then obviously made the move back.
If ACU had a program at that time when you were coming out of high school, would you have considered it?
Ryann Honea: I definitely would have considered it. I didn't want to go far from home, which was a really big factor in my recruiting process. I do remember vividly saying to my parents several times. Dang, I just wish ACU had a women's program in high school, because I was great friends with Karson and it would have been cool to come here with him and play. I had heard him talk ACU up and I had several friends at ACU not playing sports, so I definitely said that a lot. It's just crazy how God orchestrated that story and brought me back here. It's been kind of wild.
You could have gotten into the Transfer Portal and gone somewhere for your final year, final 2 years. Why did you decide to stay here at ACU for the past 3 years?
Ryann Honea: I had a lot of questions about that, a lot of people were saying, man, you could go anywhere you wanted, and I was thinking, you're probably right, and that thought definitely wasn't far from my head. Am I making the right decision staying here? Once you've reached the highest level like I went to Louisville my freshman year and played at a Power 4 level and usually see things in a very different angle, coming back to ACU and being invested in and poured into in every aspect of my life outside of athletics and outside of golf. It's been a whole different world and perspective changes, something I tell recruits that coach brings on visits all the time is grass isn't always greener on that side of the pond, things may look all shiny and golden, and there are some big powerful programs that I'm sure there are.
But just for me, there are a bunch of things in my life that I prioritize other than golf, my faith in surrounding myself with like-minded people, and I feel like ACU is a perfect fit for me, which is why I've succeeded at such a high level here. Leaving for me, I was sacrificing way more than I felt like what I was gonna gain. That thought did cross my mind and I did get a lot of questions, and I was thinking, am I making the right decision staying here? Then it's been confirmed time and time again, why I'm here and why I've decided to stay here and just the relationships I've built with my teammates.
I'm thinking, wow, I couldn't leave these people. It just wouldn't happen. I think everything I've gotten to do here and the people I've met has been confirmation that the Lord has provided and been faithful through my time here, and that I've clearly made the right decision in staying. I think. I think that's definitely an opportunity I could have taken and jumped on, but at the end of the day, money just isn't the end all be all for me, and I don't really. Prioritize that. I'd rather have an incredible college experience than go, go make some NIL at some powerful level across the country.
The ACU Sports Podcast brings you closer to the Wildcat coaches and student-athletes you cheer for. We strive to tell the story of ACU Athletics in a deeper way. Listen for free on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Coming back to ACU and being invested in and poured into in every aspect of my life outside of athletics and outside of golf, it's been a whole different world.
Below is a partial transcription of the podcast.
Can you guys go through the recruiting story of how you guys first connected to be at Louisville together out of San Angelo Central High School?
Rob Bennett: I was at Louisville just for one year, came in and was talking with the head coach there on, hey, who are we recruiting and targeting for the next class? What do we need to do and just going through different athletes having some visits, but of course, Ryann's name was high up on our list. I'd actually never watched her play, but the previous assistant coach had. I didn't really know much about her, but it was cool to get to know her and her family, but through the recruiting process a little bit, they came on a visit. Ryann obviously liked it well enough and ended up committing to Louisville.
The crazy part about that is I didn't get to coach her there. I left the summer before her freshman year to come here to start the program. So I recruited her and was like, hey, things are cool here and a lot of times they were, but I also think we had a good connection and then I was like, oh by the way, I'm leaving, and so I know she's got a story, her own story with that but it was great to. It was unique to get to recruit her to Louisville, but then also back here to ACU once she went in the portal. Very different and unique. I'm not sure how many coaches have had that happen in their careers, but I have, I'm glad, I'm glad she came back to ACU.
Ryann Honea: I kind of wanted to stay in the Texas area, but then with COVID years, with 5th year spots that people were getting on the rosters, those schools are obviously dwindling. I had a friend who I grew up playing golf with, her name is Gabby Betancourt. She was a freshman at Louisville on the team at the time. I knew of Coach Bennett from ACU men's golf just cause San Angelo and Abilene not too far away, and I was good friends with Karson Grigsby, so I just heard of Coach Bennett from the small West Texas talk. When he moved up to Louisville and Gabby was like, hey, come on and visit, two people I knew from familiar areas, so I was like, well, if Coach B just made the move from Abilene to Louisville, he must enjoy it up there.
Ended up going on a visit and it was good and then obviously committed and signed. I went for orientation and we had a good old lunch and then about a month later, he called and he was like, hey, I just wanna let you know that I'm headed back to Abilene to start the women's program, and I was like, oh, you gotta be kidding me, this stinks. But I ended up going and played freshman year there and then obviously made the move back.
If ACU had a program at that time when you were coming out of high school, would you have considered it?
Ryann Honea: I definitely would have considered it. I didn't want to go far from home, which was a really big factor in my recruiting process. I do remember vividly saying to my parents several times. Dang, I just wish ACU had a women's program in high school, because I was great friends with Karson and it would have been cool to come here with him and play. I had heard him talk ACU up and I had several friends at ACU not playing sports, so I definitely said that a lot. It's just crazy how God orchestrated that story and brought me back here. It's been kind of wild.
You could have gotten into the Transfer Portal and gone somewhere for your final year, final 2 years. Why did you decide to stay here at ACU for the past 3 years?
Ryann Honea: I had a lot of questions about that, a lot of people were saying, man, you could go anywhere you wanted, and I was thinking, you're probably right, and that thought definitely wasn't far from my head. Am I making the right decision staying here? Once you've reached the highest level like I went to Louisville my freshman year and played at a Power 4 level and usually see things in a very different angle, coming back to ACU and being invested in and poured into in every aspect of my life outside of athletics and outside of golf. It's been a whole different world and perspective changes, something I tell recruits that coach brings on visits all the time is grass isn't always greener on that side of the pond, things may look all shiny and golden, and there are some big powerful programs that I'm sure there are.
But just for me, there are a bunch of things in my life that I prioritize other than golf, my faith in surrounding myself with like-minded people, and I feel like ACU is a perfect fit for me, which is why I've succeeded at such a high level here. Leaving for me, I was sacrificing way more than I felt like what I was gonna gain. That thought did cross my mind and I did get a lot of questions, and I was thinking, am I making the right decision staying here? Then it's been confirmed time and time again, why I'm here and why I've decided to stay here and just the relationships I've built with my teammates.
I'm thinking, wow, I couldn't leave these people. It just wouldn't happen. I think everything I've gotten to do here and the people I've met has been confirmation that the Lord has provided and been faithful through my time here, and that I've clearly made the right decision in staying. I think. I think that's definitely an opportunity I could have taken and jumped on, but at the end of the day, money just isn't the end all be all for me, and I don't really. Prioritize that. I'd rather have an incredible college experience than go, go make some NIL at some powerful level across the country.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
ACU Football: Sam Hicks Prepares for Canadian Football League Debut
Tuesday, June 09
ACU Baseball: Rick McCarty Press Conference | May 11, 2026
Tuesday, May 12
ACU Baseball: Senior Day Ceremony | May 9, 2026
Saturday, May 09
ACU Softball: Jo Koons Press Conference | May 4, 2026
Monday, May 04
