GREAT MIDWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
2014 Women’s Golf Coaches’ Poll - Spring Preview
The 2013-14 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Golf season will be the G-MAC’s first season as an active NCAA Division II conference, and the field of competitive teams has expanded from its inaugural season in 2012-13.
Trevecca Nazarene University returns as the defending G-MAC Champion, after capturing the title by 38 strokes over the two-day tournament. The 2013-14 season will see a field of five teams participating in a conference championship tournament, hosted by the conference office at a neutral location. The tournament will take place at the TPC River’s Bend course just north of Cincinnati, Ohio on April 14 and 15, 2014.
Trevecca was identified as the team to beat in 2013-14, topping the conference preseason coaches’ poll, earning three first place votes. The Trojans outplayed a young group of freshman from Ursuline last season, should see a better push for the conference championship from the Arrows this season. UC was picked second in the standings and received the other two first place votes as they return three All-Conference selections, and all five of their freshman from last season. Newcomers Alderson Broaddus and Ohio Valley from the WVIAC, along Kentucky Wesleyan, who wrapped up its final year with the GLVC last year, round out the spring preview coaches poll.
G-MAC PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL
Rank School Pts
1. Trevecca Nazarene University (3 First Place votes) 15
2. Ursuline College (2 First Place vote) 13
3. Alderson Broaddus University 9
4. Ohio Valley College 7
5. Kentucky Wesleyan College 6
NOTES FROM CAMPUS
Alderson Broaddus University: Eight female student-athletes came to Alderson Broaddus this past fall to form the first-ever women’s golf team at AB and did not disappoint in their inaugural fall session. The highlight came at the Ohio Valley Invitational where the ladies took third place overall, led by a fourth place (tie) finish by sophomore Natalie Perry. The ladies had two top-ten finishes in the fall and hope to expand on the early success as they head into the spring.
The spring season will start in Columbus, Ohio at the Ohio Dominican “18 Fore Cancer Classic” and continue on the road through the spring on the their way to the G-MAC Championships in mid-April. A player-to-watch in the spring will be Emily Cunningham, a freshman from Winston, Georgia, who brought a lot of summer and high school playing experience to the Battlers’ first-year program.
Coach Schiffbauer on Emily: “Emily is a player that has played in elite events all around the country, so her experience has prepared her well for the rigors of college tournaments. She was our top freshman scorer in every tournament she played in and her hard work in practice paid dividends.” Emily, along with sophomore transfer Natalie Perry from Belpre, Ohio forms a formidable top of the lineup for the Battlers. “We didn’t play a single event at full-strength in the fall, so now we are all healthy and I am excited to see what the spring holds for us.”
Kentucky Wesleyan College: The Panthers return a pair of senior’s in Mikayla McKenzie and Bailey Wilson. The duo helped build the program last season, as they golfed only four players in multiple tournaments last year. Junior Samantha Woods has led the team, consistently shooting in the team’s low score in 2012-13.
So far this season, in the fall the Panthers have played in four tournament, including two hosted by G-MAC opponents. At the Ohio Valley Fall Invitational and the Trevecca Invitational, KWC placed seventh in both. At Ohio Valley, the Trojans totaled 748 over the two-day tournament, and then a 785 in two days at Trevecca in Nashville.
Ohio Valley University: The Fighting Scots are a young team with three freshman on the starting five, joining two juniors. Junior co-captains Lindsay Osborne and Amanda Sabourin are not only talented, but Osborne is a National Academic Award Winner and Sabourin is on the Dean's List. Both are extremely smart young ladies who put a lot of time and effort in everything that they do, and they are very capable of being first team all-conference golfers. “I look for big things from both of them in our upcoming spring tournaments,” said Head Coach Bud Tate. “Our three freshman consist of Vickie Nichols, Allison Berger, and Lacie Dawson, who have shown improvement over their first semester of college golf. Lacie has not been able to compete yet due to eligibility, but she will get her first start this March when we play in Alliance, Ohio.”
On a top heavy roster, the experience level at the top two spots, will help the growth of the three freshman to follow. As many of the G-MAC teams have experience with the winter weather this year, has not helped with growth of this young roster. “Talking with the girls, they have not been able to get any type of practice or work on their game due to the weather,” said Tate. “They will have to hit the ground running in March when the season gets under way.”
The first tournament will be hosted by Ohio Dominion in Harmony, Florida during spring break on March 10-13. The Scots will then travel to Alliance, Ohio for their second tournament hosted by Mount Union on March 22-23. The spring will be highlighted by the teams home event, a large regional type tournament at the Marietta CC in Marietta, Ohio on April 5-6.
Trevecca Nazarene University: After playing some of the program’s most consistent golf through four tournaments last fall, Head Coach Michael Johnson is decidedly upbeat about the spring of 2014.
“We had a blast in our tournaments last September and October. Our team bonded well, practiced well and played well,” said Johnson. “I think this spring can be even better. The ladies are working hard. I’m proud of them and grateful, also, for the work of assistants Will and Ashley Scism for helping push the team to better play.”
Despite the unfortunate loss of lone senior Ashley Randolph for the spring, this team features four players who have shot scores in the 70s, including the 2013 G-MAC Freshman and Player of the Year in Kaylon King, 2013 G-MAC Conference Tournament Medalist Mikayla Dodson, and Marlee Ingham-Stecker. Along with a fourth sophomore, Madison Campbell, who turned in personal bests last fall, freshman Alexa Rippy brings great depth to the starting five.
Rippy broke the 36-hole record with a 76-75 - 151 finish at the Coastal Georgia event on Jekyll Island last September and King shot an even-par 72 in the second round of the same event.
Trevecca is the defending G-MAC champion. It was Johnson’s sixth conference championship in 11 seasons as head coach of the Lady Trojans. TNU fans are hoping the 12th season will end in championship style as well in Cincinnati. Trevecca begins the spring season at the familiar Coosa Country Club in Rome, Ga. at the Coosa Invitational. Another highlight is the Big Blue Classic, a NCAA Division I tournament, held at the Hermitage Golf Course in Old Hickory, Tenn.
Ursuline College: The Arrows, after coming in third place at the inaugural Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championships last April, are looking to make some noise again this spring. If the fall is any indication, the Arrows should be a real force to be reckoned with.
In four fall tournaments, second year head coach Jen Irwin’s team had three top-five finishes. At the two-day Ohio Valley University Invitational in late September, the Arrows took second behind West Virginia Wesleyan, but finished ahead of G-MAC member institutions Alderson Broaddus, Ohio Valley and Kentucky Wesleyan.
Irwin has a young team made up of six sophomores and one freshman. In eight fall rounds, sophomore Eadaoin Cronin, the conference’s Athlete of the Month in September, paced the team four times and her 82.6 average was tops on the squad. Six times she shot an 84 or better.
Her classmate Chasey Rotondo averaged an 84.4 in the fall and carded a pair of 78’s. She shined at Gannon University’s Michael Corbett Classic where she went 82-78 to tie for seventh in the field of 87 student-athletes.
Sophomores Ashley Rideout (86.6 fall average) and Talia Trovato (87.3 fall average) as well as freshman Kennedy Fay (89.6 fall average) give Irwin a lot of depth, as any of the six players can easily shot in the 70’s on a given day. For Ursuline to take down TNU in this year’s championship, they will have to team together to all shoot low scores over the day two-day championship tournament.