Taryn Torgerson’s golf career at Wichita State wasn’t defined solely by individual conference titles or team championships.

Her record-setting tenure as a Shocker was built on something deeper: opportunity, family and faith — qualities she felt that many programs didn’t offer. That’s why last Tuesday’s announcement that WSU was discontinuing its men’s and women’s golf programs hit Torgerson especially hard.

“Every day since it’s happened, I’ve wanted to wake up, and hopefully it’s a dream or something,” Torgerson said. “Because it’s sad.

“It’s disappointing, as well, just to see a program that I feel gave me so much and kind of shaped me into the person and golfer and coach that I am today (get discontinued). Just to have it kind of cut like that is not an easy pill to swallow.”

Torgerson finished her career with individual conference titles in 2016 and 2018, along with three All-Conference honors from 2016-18. She still holds the program record for the lowest single-round score — a 64, 8-under-par at the 2018 American Conference Championship — and the lowest single-season stroke average at 73.29. 

But despite building one of the greatest individual careers in program history, Torgerson wasn’t thinking only about herself after the decision was announced.

The impact stretched far beyond former players. It reached current athletes and coaches, along with generations of Shockers connected to the programs’ history.

The men’s program was established in 1935, while the women’s team followed in 1974. Together, they produced more than 20 conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. The men’s team also developed eight All-Americans.

As painful as the decision has been for former players and coaches, Wichita State’s move reflects the rapidly changing landscape of college athletics. 

Recent developments surrounding name, image and likeness (NIL) policies and the landmark House vs. NCAA settlement — which entitles student athletes to direct compensation from their universities — have increased financial pressures on athletic departments across the country.

Even schools with SEC-level resources are making cuts. In April, the University of Arkansas, a member of the Southeastern Conference, discontinued its men’s and women’s tennis programs despite reporting more than $195 million in total athletic operating revenue during the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Wichita State, a smaller university outside of the Power Conference structure, reported just over $37 million in total operating revenue during the same period.

Athletic director Kevin Saal said during a virtual press conference last Tuesday that rising costs and resource constraints factored into WSU’s decision to cut the golf programs.

“There are multiple considerations that were evaluated across all of our athletics programs,” Saal said. “We made a determination based on long-term financial sustainability, available resources, facilities, planning and institutional priorities.” 

During the 2024-25 fiscal year, the golf teams’ combined operating expenses were reported at just over $1.1 million, while their total operating revenue was a little above $300,000 — meaning the operating deficit for the programs was around $800,000.

Torgerson, now an assistant women’s golf coach at Texas-San Antonio, understands the broader context facing athletic departments.

“With the way college athletics is changing nowadays,” she said, “I think that you see other sports, as well as golf, at other institutions kind of having to do the same thing … I think everybody has their own reasons.”

Still, when she first heard the news, her first thought was for the team: head coach Tom McCurdy and players Brooklyn Benn, Magdalena Domine, Manon Guille, Amelie Paul, Samantha Straight, Mackenzie Thomas, Kate Tilma, Kayla Van de Ven and Mackenzie Wilson.

“The first thing I wanted to do was just start lifting all of them up in prayer,” she said. “Because I know that it couldn’t have been an easy thing to hear as a player and as a coach.”

Then came the memories.

Torgerson found herself scrolling through old photos, watching videos and reflecting on her time at Wichita State.

The championships came to mind. So did the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame induction, which happened by McCurdy’s side. She thought about the connections that led to maid of honors at weddings and lifelong friendships. Those moments with teammates and coaches remained the ones she returned to most.

One memory, in particular, still stands out.

Torgerson remembers McCurdy walking alongside her during the final round of her last conference tournament in 2018.

What could have been the final round of Torgerson’s collegiate career carried pressure, and McCurdy could sense it. Instead of letting her dwell on the stakes, he kept her relaxed and focused.

Torgerson responded with a personal-best round before winning the individual title in a playoff.

“It was just super emotional for both of us,” Torgerson said. “We had both been through a lot together in our four years, and to be able to end my career with him right there by my side was something I will never forget.”

Moments like that, Torgerson said, are what made Wichita State golf more than just a program to her — they helped solidify the bonds felt by her and many others.

While the programs may be gone, those links still endure.

“I wake up and just don’t want to believe it,” Torgerson said. “At the end of the day, all of those memories, all the people that I still have in my life from my time there, nothing can take that away from us.”