Breaking records and setting standards, Macy Johnson is part of the women’s golf team that made Radford University history.
Soon to graduate with a major in economics and a minor in accounting, the senior from Salem, Virginia, is driven by hard work and a desire to help others, reflected in her academics and athletics. She says her time at Radford has influenced her desire to help others because of the support she received as a student.
Johnson has been playing golf since high school and came to Radford with some of her classmates. Thanks partly to her golf background, she is very focused and very dedicated to being part of a team. The women’s golf team has been central to Johnson’s education, and she is proud to be part of it.
“Being part of that team that set records that came in and put the work in and succeeded in what we do, I think there’s nothing but pride for that,” she said. “It is an honor to be part of the women’s golf team.”
The team won the 2025 Big South Championship, the first in the Radford program’s history.
This annual conference tournament earns the winning team a bid to the NCAA Women’s Golf Regionals.
“My teammate that was ahead of me – I did not know it – had a putt to win,” Johnson recalls, “I see it drop and I had no idea what just happened, except I see my teammates take off and tackle her to the ground.”
Not only did the team achieve a record-setting win, but it also ranked in the Top 25 for women’s golf teams in the country, with an average GPA of 3.88.
Radford has provided Johnson with many resources that have been crucial to her success, and she hopes that every student can find any resource they need on campus, especially support from professors, classmates or coaches.
“With Radford, it’s very much so a family. You can tell that everyone there wants you to succeed,” Johnson said. “And just knowing that that support is there does nothing but encourage me and make me want to keep getting better at everything I do.”
Johnson plans to receive her MBA this year and hopes to intern with the Federal Reserve. She’s pursuing a career in economics; however, her dream of playing golf professionally is strong, and she plans to keep that motivation until the very last tournament.
“Having something to keep me wanting to get better, I think, is huge for me,” she said. “Setting goals that let me keep pushing myself – you can’t stop. You have to set goals.
“With the right amount of work, you can push beyond any limit you thought you had. If you put the work in, you will succeed.”
Resa Mattson, Radford University
