#21 Women's Golf Heads To Massachusetts For NESCAC ...

The #21 Middlebury women's golf team travels to Massachusetts to compete in the NESCAC Championship this weekend. The two-day event will be hosted by Williams at the Taconic Golf Club on Saturday, May 4 and Sunday, May 5.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

Middlebury has played in all seven NESCAC Championships since its inception during the 2015-16 season.  The Panthers have finished as the runner-up in the league tournament on two separate occasions and have placed third three times. Middlebury finished in fifth place or better during six of this season's seven invitationals. The Panthers won the Hamilton Fall Invitational in September and the Wesleyan Fall Invite three weeks later. This spring, Middlebury claimed fifth place in the competitive Cortland Martin/Wallace Invitational and was third at the Jack Leaman Invite hosted by Amherst.

PANTHERS TO WATCH

An All-NESCAC Second-Team selection, Audrey Tir has been a consistent scorer for the Panthers this season. She has been a medalist during two invitationals, winning the first event of the year with a one-over par tally of 147. Tir also tied for top honors at the George Phinney Classic, carding a round of 72 on the final day on her home course. Morgan Lee has posted five top-10 finishes this year, including a trio of top-five showings. She recorded her best finish during the Williams Fall Invitational, tying for third with season-low 75 on the opening day. Middlebury's top scorer at the Wesleyan Fall Invitational was Ella Han. During the 27-hole event, she tallied rounds of 77 and 38 to claim top honors. Han also recorded another top-10 showing at Williams, tying for 10th with efforts of 78 and 75. Mia Politano has been in the lineup during both the fall and spring seasons. She carded a season-best 78 in the second round of the Hamilton Invitational on her way to a 26th-place tie. Sophia Hwang, Jacqueline Slinkard, Piper Jordan and Kaylynn Xia have also competed this year for the Panthers. Hwang earned her best finish with a tie for 11th place at Hamilton. She fired a 37 during the nine-hole second day, finishing just strokes out of the top 10. Slinkard finished in a fourth-place tie at the same event, including a season-low 76 on Sunday. 

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

Williams enters the NESCAC Championship ranked fifth in the national poll, while Amherst is 14th. Hamilton and the Panthers round out the four-team field. Williams has claimed four event team titles this season, including the 2023 NESCAC Fall Qualifier to earn hosting rights for the championship. The Ephs have won five of the seven league championships since women's golf became a conference-sponsored sport in 2015.  Amherst has captured the last pair of titles, including a two-day total of 609 (306-303) to win the crown in 2023. There will be a new medalist this spring, as Catalin Yturralde of Williams posted rounds of 74 and 71 to claim top honors a year ago and has since graduated.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

Tee times will begin on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. for individuals and waves for teams start at 9:10 a.m. Championship Central NESCAC Championship Weekend Announcement

The winner of the championship will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the rest of the field being announced on Monday, May 13.