DADE CITY, Fla. – The Old Dominion women's golf team posted its best 18-hole round of the season as the Monarchs fired a 2-over 290 in the final round of the Conference USA Championship on the par-72, 6,267-yard Lake Jovita Golf Club. ODU finished in fifth, while junior Jana Melichova shot a 1-under 71 to finish as the runner-up on Wednesday afternoon.
"We absolutely played our hearts out today, shooting our best round of the year. Once again Jana and Leah played great. It is quite the accomplishment to have two players make the All-Tournament Team," ODU head coach Mallory Hetzel expressed. "Elsie gave us a great round and we think she has a bright future with us."
Entering Wednesday's round, Melichova owned a two-stroke lead. North Texas' Audrey Tan earned medalist honors with a final score of 207, firing a final round 67 (-5) to finish with a one-stroke advantage over Melichova.
Melichova played a blemish-free round, highlighted by a birdie on the second hole. For the tournament, the junior compiled 12 birdies, third-most in the field of 56 athletes.
Junior Leah Onosato also earned a top-five finish, firing an even-par 72 on Wednesday. The pair of ODU juniors were named to the C-USA All-Tournament Team.
Freshman Elsie Verhoeven shot an even-par 72, the best round of her rookie campaign.
Noemie Sudron and Justine Lauer both shot their best rounds of the tournament, carding a 75 and 77, respectively. Lauer saw a 16-stroke improvement from her second round.
"Now we will have to wait for the NCAA tournament selection show next week. We are on the bubble right now for another at-large bid and will have a close eye on the remaining conference championships," said Hetzel.
North Texas won the team title, shooting an 863 (287-293-283).
All-Tournament Team
Audrey Tan, North Texas (Medalist)
Jana Melichova, Old Dominion
Justine Fournand, Florida Atlantic
Leah Onosato, Old Dominion
Lauren Cox, North Texas
Megan Clarke, WKU
ODU Final Scores
2 Jana Melichova – 69 – 68 – 71 = 208
T4 Leah Onosato – 69 – 73 – 72 = 214
T32 Elsie Verhoeven – 79 – 78 – 72 = 229
T51 Noemie Sudron – 78 – 83 – 75 = 236
56 Justine Lauer – 86 – 94 – 77 = 257
Team Leaderboard
1 No. 33 North Texas – 287 – 293 – 283 = 863
T2 Western Kentucky – 282 – 294 – 299 = 875
T2 Middle Tennessee – 294 – 286 – 295 = 875
4 No. 49 UTSA – 295 – 290 – 292 = 877
5 Old Dominion – 295 – 302 – 290 = 887
6 Florida Atlantic – 302 – 299 – 294 = 895
7 UTEP – 298 – 300 – 302 = 900
8 Southern Miss – 294 – 302 – 307 = 903
9 FIU – 300 – 302 – 303 = 905
10 Marshall – 305 – 303 – 304 = 912
11 UAB – 314 – 300 – 302 = 916
Melichova Earns Second Place; Women's Golf Finishes in Fifth at C-USA Championship
