No. 1 Panthers Head to Big South Championship Looking for First Title

13 Apr 2024

HPU Panthers

FRIPP ISLAND, S.C. — The top-seed High Point University women's golf team looks to secure its first conference championship at the Big South Championship, which beings Sunday with a practice round before three rounds of 18. The top four teams will advance to match play on Wednesday.

Teams
Charleston Southern, USC Upstate, UNC Asheville, Radford, Longwood, Winthrop, Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian

HPU Head Coach Lyndsey Hunnell: "I'm so excited to be heading down to Fripp for conference. This team has put in so much time fine-tuning their games and I know they're ready to embrace this moment. It has been such a privilege to see how dedicated and supportive this group has been this whole year. They know what's on the line and that they're going to have to go out there and prove they deserve it."

High Point enters the postseason as the No. 1 seed on the hunt for a conference championship after finishing runner-up last year. Despite falling short, senior captain Danielle Suh is optimistic heading into the tournament this year.

"I think everyone was feeling a little burned out towards the end of conference last year, and unfortunately, I didn't produce my A-game because of it," Suh said. "Coach Hunnell was aware of the burnout from last year and held a team meeting a few weeks ago to remind us that there are only 38 days left. 38 days to put in those extra hours of work towards school, conditioning our bodies, and getting our games' ready. I think seeing that number motivated me and the girls to push a little harder going into our last stretch of tournaments."

Although the Panthers lost last year's standout Sarah Khan, a few recruits who joined the team this year are giving strong performances on the course and setting the Panthers up well for a successful performance.

Anna Howerton, the only freshman on the team, has elevated HPU's performance quite a bit. Howerton has broken three program records during her first year on the squad and was the UNCG Collegiate tournament's medalist. Additionally, Howerton has landed three top-five finishes throughout the year.

Graduate students Julia McLaughlin and Maddie Hensley have also made waves on the team. McLaughlin has finished in the top-10 once this year and has finished in the top-20 three times while Hensley has secured two top-20 finishes.

"Maddie, Jules, and Anna are such amazing players and teammates," Suh said. "They each contribute something unique to the team dynamic. Maddie motivates our team to work hard and be fierce. Jules is our "happy pill" who reminds us to have fun and not stress too much at tournaments. Our freshman Anna is our golf junkie who inspires us to trust the process and play fearless."

While three newcomers are likely to elevate the Panthers' game, the returners have stepped up in major ways as well. Ella Perna, a sophomore, has continuously grown her game over the year, reducing her stroke average from 75.97 her freshman year to 73.19 this year, almost a three-stroke difference. Additionally, Perna has secured four top-5 finishes, three more than last year, one top-10 finish, and two top-20 finishes.

Ana-Elena Kusters is another returner who will make an appearance at the conference tournament this year. Kusters has shown tenacity throughout the year, steadily improving her game to earn a spot as the alternate to return to the Big South Conference Tournament.

"Ella continues to amaze me with her consistent hard work at practice and perseverance in tournaments," Suh said. "Ana-Elena demonstrates a strong work ethic and never gives up, no matter what adversity she faces. All five girls have the drive, talent, and discipline that will set our team up for success at Conference."

Suh is the final student-athlete to attend the Big South Conference Tournament. Her stats show a huge improvement from last year as the senior has secured two top-5 placements, and one top-10 and top-20. Additionally, Suh has improved her stroke average from 76.3 to 75.2. With three seasoned players and three promising newcomers, Suh and the team are quite optimistic about taking first this year.

"The biggest challenge in the fight for the championship is staying patient," Suh said. "The team that stays focused on each shot and not 3 holes ahead of them will win. The biggest hurdle this week will probably be the conditions. Fripp Island can get pretty windy, so our team has been mentally preparing for it and I'm confident we will get through each day smoothly."

Perna will hold the one spot at the conference tournament followed by Howerton, Suh, McLaughlin, and Hensley. Kusters will attend the tournament as an alternate.

The Big South Conference Championship Tournament will be played in three rounds across three days followed by two rounds of match play to determine the champion. The top four teams will move onto match play with the teams that finish first and fourth playing against each other and the second and third teams facing off. The first round of match play will take place Wednesday morning followed by the second round at 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon.

Seeding:
1 – High Point (101)
2 – Charleston Southern (120)
3 – USC Upstate (146)
4 – UNC Asheville (158)
5 – Radford (172)
6 – Longwood (195)
7 – Winthrop (210)
8 – Gardner-Webb (228)
9 – Presbyterian (242)

#GoHPU