Fayetteville, NC – Freshman Caden Hodges won Low Medalist honors in all three March tournaments for Fayetteville State University to earn the SwingU HBCU Golfer of the Month for March. The Dunn, N.C. native began the month going 72-71-74 (+4, 217) for a two-stroke victory at the WSSU Ram Shootout and followed it up the next week with a 69-72 (-1, 141) three-shot win at the CIAA Southern Division Tournament. He concluded his March with a one-stroke victory at the VSU Spring Classic, carding a 73-72-73 (+2, 218). 
 
The Broncos have sustained as a top CIAA program thanks to the complimentary play of Hodges in his first season. Fayetteville State University has won a total of 26 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Golf Championships since 1976. FSU won its last title in 2012 and finished as runner-up in 2019.
 
A gifted set of golf clubs in middle school sparked the passion and a career for Fayetteville State' golfer. Casual days with friends on the local course near his hometown of Dunn, NC developed into competitive weekends on the Midway High School team. Now with hundreds of rounds and thousands of swings under the proverbial golf cap, Hodges is leading the Broncos toward the goal of a CIAA championship and beyond. 
 
 "I really did not start getting good until my senior year," Hodges admitted in his conversation with the Broncos Sports Network. "It's a whole different story from high school golf to college. You get to college and realize there are so many good players around. You just have to take the time and put the work in. If you practice harder and work harder, you can beat anybody out there. It's just a matter of staying calm and staying in the moment and controlling the things that you can control."
 
Hodges has lived up to the moment, topping each of FSU's last three of four tournaments, finishing as the Low Medalist at Virginia State's Spring Classic, the CIAA Southern Division Tournament, and the WSSU Ram Shootout. He finished second behind teammate Juan Lopez at the CIAA Northern Division Tournament.
 
Behind Caden's performances, FSU won the WSSU Ram Shootout, with a one-stroke victory over defending CIAA Champions Livingstone, the Southern Division Tournament with a 36-hole total of 595 to defeat the Virginia Union Panthers (605), and the Livingstone Blue Bears (611). After the Broncos finished second to Livingstone at the VSU Spring Classic by a scorecard of 884 to 889 and ahead of Virginia Union by one stroke (890), Fayetteville State conquered the field at the Northern Division Tournament with a 54-hole 871 card. VUU stood second (886) and LC third (906).
 
"That was one of the most impressive finishes that I have seen from our guys this year," said Head Coach John Cole. "The wind picked up and the Charlotte Country Club was playing extremely difficult. So, when things got tough our guys persevered and played really well."
 
"I know these guys can compete with the top teams in the nation if we play well. We are not going to slack around and stick inside the top 50 teams in the country. That's just not going to happen.  We have to play really good golf and these guys can do it. Playing in these tougher tournaments helps us when the pressure is on. I hope the situations we put ourselves in throughout the season will help us handle the big moment when we get to it."
 
Hodges describes the relationship with his team as a constant back-and-forth conversation, taking advice on how to approach certain obstacles around the course, while also offering feedback to his older teammates. 
 
"Even though I'm just a freshman, I believe there are ways I can help all of the guys by communicating," Hodges said. 
 
The star first-year student-athlete and the Broncos have set their sights on the CIAA Championship in Jacksonville, NC at the Jacksonville Country Club from April 17th-18th. Fayetteville State finished third last season.
 
"We just have to keep working hard on the stuff we know that we have issues with," Cole said. "Golf is such an individual sport that these guys have to take responsibility for what their weaknesses are. All of the stuff that really matters is coming up."