Campbell University

Tales from the Creek Podcast (December 2024)

A native of Cordoba, Argentina, Maria Maldonado was inducted into the Campbell Hall of Fame in October 2007.  She was the first Campbell women's golfer to earn all-conference recognition four times. During her career, she helped Campbell win 13 intercollegiate tournament titles, including the Big South Conference championship in 1993 and 1994.
 
Individually, she won three collegiate tournament championships and finished among the top 10 individuals 17 times in 31 outings. She was a member of the All-Big South Conference Team three times and earned All-Trans America Athletic Conference first-team recognition in 1995.
 
Maldonado joined the Campbell program in January of 1992 and won her first title as a Lady Camel at the Mercer Invitational to conclude her freshman season. She finished seventh in the 1992 Big South Championship, the first of four-straight, top-10 showings at league championship events.
 
During her sophomore year, Maldonado helped lead Campbell to its first-ever women's golf conference team crown at the 1993 Big South Championship. She won the Winthrop Invitational and placed fourth at the Big South event. As a junior, Maldonado helped lead the Camels to a second-consecutive Big South title and their first-ever team berth in the NCAA East Regional Championship.
 
As a senior, Maldonado capped her career by becoming CU's first female golfer to earn all-league honors four times when she was named first-team All-TAAC. That same year, she set a tournament record with the lowest 36-hole score at the Fighting Camel Spring Classic to capture her third collegiate individual title.
 
Maldonado then spent three years as an assistant coach for both the Camel men's and women's golf programs. During her three-year coaching stint from 1995-98, she helped guide head coach John Crooks' women's teams to 16 tournament wins, including three-straight conference titles. The Campbell men also won five tournament championships during the span.
 
Maldonado earned her BBA as an international business major in 1996 with minors in marketing, management and French. She earned her MBA in management from Campbell in 1998.