BEREA, OHIO --  The Baldwin Wallace University women's golf team enters the 2008-2009 fall campaign with goals of winning an Ohio Athletic Conference title and earning an NCAA Division III National Tournament berth.  The Yellow Jackets finished a strong third at the 2008 OAC Tournament last spring, but lost three key student-athletes to graduation.

The team will begin the 2008 fall campaign with a new coach. First-year Head Coach Sean Strickland comes to BW from Slippery Rock (Pa.) High School where he coached a number of sports, including basketball.  Strickland returns two of his top five players from a year ago, including four-time All-OAC and three-time Academic All-OAC selection Molly Scheetz as well as starters Shelly McKinney and Karli Townsend. All three graduated in May.

"We lost some key student-athletes who were excellent students and golfers," said Strickland, who also will assist Cheri Harrer in basketball. "We do return two fulltime starters as well as two other student-athletes who have the ability to help.  In addition, we will be looking to build depth with incoming freshmen and newcomers to the program."

This fall, Strickland is hoping that he can count on the return of senior three-year letterwinners Lydia Cole (East Canton) and Simone Short (Toledo/ Whitmer).  Cole was second on the team in stroke average last year with an 18-hole average of 95.23, including a career and season-best average of 92.60 during the 2007 Fall season. She also finished 15th as an individual at the 2008 OAC Tournament.  Short ended last season with a 104.40 stroke average to rank fifth on the team.  Last fall, she averaged a career-low 102.20 strokes and shot a career-low 94 for 18 holes at the Otterbein College Fall Invitational. 

Also returning are sophomores Nicole Carlone (Canton/ St. Thomas Aquinas) and Sam Migalski (Monahawkin, N.J./ Southern Regional). Both made solid improvement during their initial season of collegiate golf.  Carlone improved her 18-hole stroke average by 9.25 strokes from fall to spring and Migalski also lowered her average by 7.75 strokes.   Migalski shot the third-best 18-hole round on the team last spring, when she carded an 88 at the Wilmington College Spring Invitational.

"Both Nicole and Sam have the talent and ability to help our team this season," said Strickland. "Our main goal is to have each returning player continue her improvement. Add that to solid improvement and development of our newcomers as the season progresses and we have an opportunity to be competitive at the 2009 OAC Championship Tournament."

The Yellow Jackets open the 2008 Fall season on Sunday, September 14 whent they host the annual Yellow Jacket Invitational at Mallard Creek Golf Course in Columbia Station. During the fall season, BW will play in six tournaments and potentially eight rounds of 18 holes. The second half of the season begins in the spring of 2009 and culminates with the 2009 OAC Championship.  The winner of the OAC Tournament receives an automatic berth at the 2009 NCAA Division III National Tournament.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact BW Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, by FAX machine at 440-826-2329 or via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu.  To contact Head Coach Sean Strickland, please call him at 440-826-3433 or e-mail him at sstrickl@bw.edu. You can get all of the latest BW athletics information by visiting our Web site at www.bw.edu/athletics.