The Gannon women’s golf team captured the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Women’s Golf Championship at the Hershey East Country Club on Sunday, shooting a two-day team score of 648 (323-325) to secure their second team-title in program history. Senior Bhanisha Nagindas (Brampton, Ontario / St. Marguerite d’Youville) locked up second place on the leaderboard followed by fellow senior Amanda Teodorsson (Savedalen, Sweden / Porthalla) in third to help secure the Lady Knights’ team title.
“Winning this PSAC Championship took such an incredible team effort, and for it to be such a close finish made it even more exciting for us,” said head coach Abby Sorensen. “Every golfer in our lineup counted a score that contributed to this win, which is fitting because this group of golfers are so close, have so much fun together, and have been so supportive of each other all season. We took advantage of every opportunity we had to remind ourselves to have fun and stay relaxed out there.”
Opening the final round atop the leaderboard, the Lady Knights held off reigning PSAC champion California (Pa.). The Vulcans shaved 20 strokes off their open round score of 335 in the final round, shooting a 315 to finish second overall with a team score of 650. Rounding out the top five teams were Kutztown in third (329-330=659) while Mercyhurst (327-338=665) and Seton Hill (324-341=665) tied for fourth. Morgan Miller of Seton Hill captured the individual title with a score of 154 (76-78).
“To say that we battled back is an understatement because we really had to remind ourselves to stay positive on the difficult front nine,” said Sorensen. “We improved by 10 strokes as a team on the back nine and that was the difference for us. Our mental toughness was the most important factor for us this weekend.”
The Lady Knights finished with three individuals in the top 10 of the field including Nagindas and Tedororsson in the top three. Entering the day in the lead with an opening round score of 74, Nagindas shot an 81 in the final round to score a 36-hole total of 155 for second overall. For the third time in her career, Nagindas tied her career-best finish of second overall, taking runner-up honors in 2011 and 2010.
Teodorsson recorded her second-best career finish of third overall with a score of 158 (78-80), moving up one slot from her opening-round finish. Joining Nagindas and Teodorsson in the top 10 was freshman Diana Munoz (Ibague, Colombia / San Bonifacio de las Lanzas), who tied for 10th overall (85-80=165). Munoz improved nine slots on the leaderboard after placing 19th in the opening round.
Senior Mary Eighmy (Erie, Pa. / McDowell) tied for 20th, shooting a 172 (88-84) followed by freshman Kasey Harter (Millport, N.Y. / Horseheads), who tied for 25th with a 175 (86-89).
“Last night in our team meeting, we agreed we would focus on our own game and not be distracted by the scoreboard,” said Sorensen. “After Kasey, Mary, and Diana turned in their solid scores we knew we had a good chance and we were confident Amanda and Bhanisha could finish strong on the last two tough holes. We had to wait until Bhanisha added her scorecard after her round to breathe a sigh of relief. This championship literally came down to the last hole, and it was such an exciting experience to be a part of.”
Capping off a strong showing in the fall with the conference crown, the Lady Knights opened the season with three consecutive team titles at the Evann Parker Memorial (Sept. 13-14), the Michael Corbett Fall Classic (Sept. 15-16) and the Clarion Fall Invitational (Sept. 22-23).
“While we are obviously thrilled to be the 2013 PSAC champions, we are even more excited to ride this momentum in to the spring season to make a run at a bid to the NCAA East Regional Championships,” said Sorensen. “We will definitely celebrate and enjoy this moment, but I know this win was just the beginning of what this team can accomplish.”
Gannon will now prepare for the spring season in its bid for a spot in the NCAA East Regional Championship.
This article by Will Nowadly, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations, was originally published on www.gannonsports.com on Oct. 20, 2013.
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