BEREA, OHIO -- The 2009-2010 Baldwin Wallace University women's golf team enters its spring season with goals to win the Ohio Athletic Conference and earn a berth to the Division III National Championships. The collegiate golf season is split between the fall and spring seasons.
"We are working toward rebuilding the women's golf program back to be among the best in the OAC," said second-year Head Coach Sean Strickland. "We know that it is going to take a lot of hard work, dedication, determination and a commitment by our student-athletes to improve every day. We are excited to begin our season in Florida and work toward realizing our goals."
The Yellow Jackets open the 2010 spring season on Wednesday, March 10 when they participate at the Northern Illinois Snowbird Intercollegiate during spring break at the Pebble Creek Golf Club in Tampa. The final round will be played on Thursday, March 11.
In the fall of 2009, the Yellow Jackets had an 8-19 overall record that was highlighted by a second-place finish at the Heidelberg University Invitational Tournament.
"We made constant and consistent improvement throughout our fall season," said Strickland. "We feel that each of the young women in our program are committed to helping our program get better with the goals of winning an OAC title and making the NCAA tourney."
This year's team boast no seniors, so Strickland will have to rely on the experience of juniors Nicole Carlone (Canton/ St. Thomas Aquinas) and Sam Migalski (Monahawkin, N.J./ Southern Regional) as well as sophomore Caci Lewandowski (Sharon Center/ Medina Highland) and freshmen Brooke Hamilton (Cleveland/ St. Joesph Academy), Rebecca Kapusta (Independece), Emily Eighmy (Erie, PA/ Villa Maria Academy) and Sara Terill (Cuyahoga Falls/ Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy).
During the fall season, the team was led in stroke average by Hamilton and Kapusta with Carlone and Migalski rounding out the top four (a team score at the collegiate level is accumulated by counting the top four scores of five total players with the high score discarded from the group).
Hamiltion led the team in stroke average at 91.56 per 18 holes and carded a team-best 85 at the first day of the Yellow Jacket Invitational. Kapusta had the second-best average at 97.11 strokes and shot a season-best of 93 on the first day of the Gannon (Pa.) University Invitational. Carlone, a two-year letterwinner who has already shown vast improvement each year she has played on the varsity, averaged a 100.89 strokes this fall and carded a career-best 91 at the BW Invitational. Migalski is playing her third season of golf and averaged a 105 strokes this fall and carded a season-best 96. As a freshman, she averaged 100 strokes per round with a best of 88.
"Both Brooke and Rebecca had a strong fall and combined with Nicole and Sam give us at least four solid players," said Strickland. "When you then add Emily, Caci and Sara, it gives us seven young women who can improve and grow with the program. We feel that all seven again can make great strides this spring with the sky as the limit on our improvement."
Eighmy averaged a 107.11 strokes this fall and had a season-best of 100. Lewandowski is back for her second season on the varsity and averaged a career best 107.33 in the fall a career-best round of 96. Terrill averaged a 110.33 with a fall season-best of 103.
During the spring season, the Yellow Jackets will play in five tournaments. The OAC Championship will be hosted by John Carroll University on April 24 -25 at the Fowlers Mills Golf Course in Chesterland. The winner of the 2010 OAC Tournament will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament.
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