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No Doubt: Shorter rolls to SSAC Women's Golf championship
COLUMBUS, Ga. -- That No. 1 ranking sure looks
good on the Shorter University women's golf team. It's latest
championship performance has only added more luster.
The top-ranked Lady Hawks stormed through the field at the Southern States Athletic Conference Championships at the Columbus Country Club in Columbus, Ga., to win the conference title by 26 strokes and claim the league's automatic berth into the 2011 NAIA Women's Golf National Championship in several weeks.
Shorter, which was already a virtual lock to advance to the national tournament based on its No. 1 ranking, sealed the deal with a dominating performance that saw freshman Lisa Persson take medalist honors and sophomore Greta Lange and freshman Maria Bengtsson finish in a tie for second place.
"We have the nicest group of girls that you could ever want," said Shorter assistant coach J.T. Clendenin, who, under SSAC Coach of the Year Greg Owens, has helped lead the Lady Hawks to the best season in program history. "Everything has gone our way all year long, but we have worked really hard to make that happen."
The Lady Hawks made sure everything would go their way at the SSAC Championships, besting second place Lee University by 13 strokes on both days to take the title.
Shorter shot a two-day team total of 312-313-625, displaying the type of consistency that has helped the team string together an incredible run of no worse than a runner up finish in 11 straight events -- the streak now includes an unprecedented five tournament titles.
The Lady Flames, ranked 12th in the NAIA Top 25 Poll, finished a distant second with a team score of 651.
The trio of Persson, Lange and Bengtsson led the way for the Lady Hawks this time out.
Persson, named the SSAC Freshman of the Year on Sunday, won the tournament by three strokes with a two-day total of 77-76-153 (+9). Persson won the NAIA Preview in the fall and entered the SSAC Tournament with plenty of momentum coming from a fourth-place effort at the SCAD Invitational two weeks ago.
Lange, the SSAC's Player of the Year and a sure bet to become a two-time All-American in her first two seasons with the program, shot 77-79-156 to place second and Bengtsson, who arrived at Shorter during the mid-year holiday break, equaled her more veteran teammate with a 76-80-156 to complete Shorter's coup at the top of the leaderboard.
It takes an entire team to win a title and a total team effort powered the Lady Hawks.
Gabriela Murcia bounced back from an 87 in Monday's opening round to fire a 78 on Tuesday and finish at 165. Junior Petra Muller, the elder statesman of a young and talented Shorter roster, turned in a two-day total of 82-84-166 to round out Shorter's competitors.
While the celebration will surely last for several days, Owens is quick to point out that there is still work to be done and an ultimate goal to reach: the program's first-ever national championship.
"We will turn our attention to getting ready for nationals over the next few weeks," Owens said. "It's time to focus on our weaknesses and make those our strengths."
