ANDERSON, S.C. – On the heels of a year that saw the Trojans earn a pair of tournament championships, including their second SAC title in three years, and five runner-up performances against top-notch competition, the nationally No. 5/6 ranked Anderson women's golf team is set to compete at the NCAA Division II Women's Golf South Region Championship for the third time in school history.
The 54-hole tournament will be hosted by Nova Southeastern at the Grande Oaks Golf Club, Monday - Wednesday, on a par 71, 5,887-yard layout.
"We are very excited to be heading to regionals for the third straight year," said Anderson Director of Golf Danny Neal. "Our ladies have worked very hard this year; both in the weight room and on the golf course. That work is now paying off with our national ranking being the highest in program history. We are looking forward to the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the country and hoping to take the next step by reaching the national championship as a team for the first time."
As they did in both 2019 and 2021, Neal's squad will face a daunting task, while facing a field that includes six of the top-10 teams in the country – and three more in the top-17 - among the 11 other schools represented in the tourney.
Joining Conference Coach of the Year Danny Neal's Trojans in the Sunshine State for the highly-touted 12-team South Region Championship will be nationally second-ranked Lynn, No. 3 Limestone, No. 4 Nova Southeastern, No. 6 Barry, No. 7 Rollins, No. 10 Lee, No. 15 Tampa, No. 16 St. Leo, No. 17 Columbus State, No. 44 West Florida and No. 48 UNC Pembroke.
Anderson (South Atlantic), Columbus State (Peach Belt), West Florida (Gulf South), UNC Pembroke (Conference Carolinas), and Barry (Sunshine State) each captured automatic bids after winning their conference titles.
Not unexpectedly, half of the 12-team field hails from the Sunshine State Conference (Barry, Lynn, Tampa, Rollins, Nova Southeastern and Saint Leo), while the South Atlantic Conference (Anderson and Limestone) and the Gulf South Conference (Lee and West Florida) each captured two bids apiece. The Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas each garnered one spot, in Columbus State and UNC Pembroke, respectively.
AU is making its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, while Lee is a fixture in the South Regional with its fifth NCAA appearance since 2016. West Florida will be making its 10th appearance and first since 2017. Columbus State is making its first NCAA regional appearance as a team, while UNC Pembroke will be participating in its third NCAA regional and first since 2012.
Tampa claimed last year's South Region title by 13 shots over Lynn and finished 14 strokes in front of Limestone, with all three squads advancing to the NCAA Division II National Championships in in Dearborn, Mich., with Dallas Baptist eventually claiming the title.
Lynn won the 2019 South Region Championship by six strokes over runner-up Limestone, with both teams advancing to the NCAA Division II National Championships in Tampa, in addition to Barry and Florida Tech. Barry captured the 2017 NCAA D-II National Championship, while Lynn owns a pair of national titles (2013 & 2014). Rollins owns six national championships and will be seeking its first title since 2016, while Nova Southeastern has claimed four straight national championships (2009-12).
In addition to the 12 teams converging in Davie, Fla. there are six golfers that qualified individually for the tournament, including three from the South Atlantic Conference. Hailey McLaughlin (Wingate), Maeve Cummins (Carson-Newman) and Megan Robb (Lenoir-Rhyne), along with West Georgia's Ainsley Cowart, North Georgia's Madeline Anathasane and Hannah Stephenson from Lander.
Anathasane, who is ranked 24th nationally, along with the 32nd ranked McLaughlin, will each be making their second straight trip to the NCAA South Regional as individuals.
For the second straight year, the illustrious field includes the top-three golfers in the nation, five of the country's top-10 golfers and half of the nation's top 20 golfers, beginning with Barry's Alice Gotbring, who is the top-ranked golfer in the nation. She was ranked seventh heading into last year's South Region Championship. Lynn's Sara Ericsson, a sophomore, is tabbed second nationally, while Limestone senior Ebba Hellman is ranked No. 3 in the nation.
West Georgia's Cowart is ranked eighth nationally heading into this week's regional, with Stina Wikstrom from Limestone at No. 10 in the country.
The top two individual finishers from a year ago - Tampa senior Kiira Riihijarvi and runner-up Helen Kruezer from Lynn - will not be competing this week, but Limestone's Lena Schilowsky, Tampa's Emily Montagnino and Lynn's Camila Madariaga, who finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in 2021 are returning this week.
The 2022 edition of Trojan women's golf is returning to familiar territory after making an appearance at the 2019 NCAA South Regional in Cleveland, Tenn., and after the 2020 tourney was canceled due to the pandemic, AU followed up by earning an at-large bid to the 2021 NCAA South Regional, which was again hosted by Lee University in the Volunteer State.
After finishing in a tie for seventh at the South Regional three years ago, Victoria Hall became the first golfer in school history – men's or women's - to make an appearance on the national stage and finished in a tie for 72nd place at the 2019 NCAA National Championships.
A year ago, Emma Charles claimed a share of fifth place at the South Regional and became just the second golfer in school history to earn a berth in the NCAA National Championships.
The Trojans narrowly missed out on becoming the first squad in school history to make an appearance at the National championships as a team, after finishing fourth a year ago. Charles paced the Trojans with her share of fifth place, while Jessica Rathbone finished in a tie for 21st. Kerington Lamb claimed a share of 26th place with Anna Freeman finishing in a tie for 28th place. Hall rounded out the Trojan contingent in a tie for 36th place.
The Trojans have finished no lower than fourth this season, while winning the Patsy Rendleman Invitational in October and finishing as runners-up at the South Region Preview, Flagler's Fall Slam, Florida Southern's Lady Moc Classic, Missouri – St. Louis' Emerald Coast Classic and at the Findlay Spring Invitational.
Behind Rathbone's tournament-record and school-record, three-round 208, AU claimed its second SAC Championship in three seasons, and with the title, the Trojans earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regional.
During the 2021-22 campaign, the team has posted the five lowest 54-hole tournament scores in program history, including a school-record 867 at the LeeAnn Noble Memorial in mid-October, with the third-round 282 marking a single-round school record. Current team members own or share the top-16 54-hole scores in school history, 16 of the top-17 36-hole scores and nine of the top-10 single-round scores in school history.
Rathbone, a two-time First-Team All-SAC honoree who captured Second-Team All-America (WGCA) accolades a year ago, led a balanced Trojan squad with a 73.00 unadjusted stroke average after firing a season-low 67 in the third round of the SAC Championship on the way to a first-place finish. The Montpelier, Va., native finished lower than 14th just once during the year. Heading into the NCAAs, she is ranked 11th nationally by Golfstat.
SAC Freshman of the Year and Second-Team honoree, Kennedy McGaha, is ranked 30th by Golfstat and boasts a 74.08 unadjusted stroke average that includes a round of 68 (LeeAnn Noble Memorial), along with a pair of 69s – at the LeeAnn Noble Memorial and at the Lady Moc Classic. McGaha has nine top-20 finishes on the year, including four in the top-10, hasn't finished lower than 19th.
Lamb, another senior who brought home Third-Team All-SAC honors, enters the regional third on the team with a 75.05 unadjusted stroke average, while firing a school record 66 in the third round of the Lady Moc Classic on the way to a runner-up finish seven weeks ago. The Easley native reached even-par in three of her eight tournaments this season, while posting a pair of 70s during the year and is ranked 61st nationally by Golfstat.
Hall is ranked 78th by Golfstat and captured all-conference honors for the third straight season, while owning a 75.29 unadjusted stroke average through nine tournaments. The Moore, S.C., native posted six top-20 finishes this year.
Zoey Iglesias, ranked 73rd by Golfstat, owns a 75.31 stroke average and has finished no lower than 32nd during her outstanding freshman campaign. The Port St. Lucie, Fla., native earned Third-Team All-SAC recognition and matched the team's second-lowest round of the year with a 67 in the second round of the Patsy Rendleman Invitational and has notched four top-25 performances this year, including bringing home third place at the Rendleman.
Charles fired a season-low 69 and a 71 at the LeeAnn Noble Memorial to go along with 71s in the first round of the year at the South Region Preview and at the Emerald Coast Classic. A Hartsville native, Charles owns five top-25 performances en route to a 76.00 stroke average.
Freeman, an Aiken native, owns a 76.80 scoring average after recording a season-low 71 in February at the Lady Moc Classic. She has finished among the top-25 in four of her six tournaments this season. Freeman, a former South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year (2018), also earned Honorable Mention All-SAC accolades in 2019.
Nationally, 48 teams and 24 individuals will be competing this week in the regional competition of the 2022 NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championship.
The top five teams from the regional along with the top two individuals not on an advancing team will move on to the NCAA Division II National Championships slated for May 10-14 at the Chattahoochee Golf Club in Gainesville, Ga.
Live scoring will be available for all three rounds, with tee times set for 8 a.m. each morning.
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