April 21, 2011
PINEHURST, NC--The Lady Monarchs of ODU compete in the 2011 CAA women's Golf Championships which begin on Friday morning at The Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C. The 54-hole tournaments will conclude on Sunday afternoon with the winners earning an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.
The Lady Monarchs will be led by senior Emma Gilmore, sophomore Samantha Morrell,freshmen Eliabeth Haycock and Kimberley Bradbury.
Gilmore has a 78.8 spring stroke average, Morrell, 76.8, Haycock, 76.8 and Bradburyat 77.8.
Morrell was fourth at C&F Bank and sixth at Tina Barrett in the Spring while placing second at Great Smokies, third at lady Pirate and seventh at Sea trail inthe Fall.
Haycock tied for second at UNCW, and 16th at Barefoot at the Beach, while Bradbury was fifth at UNCW and seventh at Tina Barrett. Gilmore finished second at Tina Barrett in the Spring and 15th at the Spider Classic in the Fall.
Ten women's teams will battle at the par 72, 6,002-yard Pinehurst No. 6 course. Just three teams have ever won the CAA women's golf championship title: James Madison, Georgia State and UNC Willmington. Defending champion Georgia State came away with a nine-stroke victory to claim its third, and second stright, CAA title since joining in 2006. The Panthers are on pace to battle for another title as they enter the tournament ranked No. 1 among the team standings. GSU is led by 2010 CAA Individual Medalist Charlotte Lorentzen, who enters the tournament a top all CAA players, Charlotte Guilleux and Jenny Haggblom.
Other top contenders include James Madison, which is led by Ginger Mak, Nicole Sakamoto, and Mary Chamberlain and third-seeded UNC Wilmington, which won back-to-back championship titles in 2007 & 2008, will be led by Sofia Hagsund, Lori Beth Adams and Laverry Kumar. Old Dominion will open the tournament as the fourth seed and Xavier will be the fifth-seeded team.
The three-day event will open with split tees each day and live scoring will be available. The tournaments will conclude on Sunday afternoon and award ceremonies will be held at the respective courses.