CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. – The Washington and Lee University women’s golf team rose seven positions in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) ranks as announced on Friday afternoon by the association.
The Blue and White tallied 227 points in the coaches’ vote to jump from the No. 13 slot in the preseason poll to No. 6 after the opening weekend of competition.
The rise in the ranks comes on the heels of an outstanding weekend on the greens for the Generals. W&L earned a third-place team finish and the individual title at the NCAA Division III Women’s Fall Preview in two rounds on the El Campeon Golf Course in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
Sophomore An Shelmire (Dallas, Texas / Highland Park) claimed her first collegiate individual scoring title in a national field of 95 women on Monday afternoon and was named the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Women’s Golfer of the Week after she notched five birdies and registered 24 pars during the preview and was the top-performer in par three scoring (2.75 average, -2). Shelmire’s one-under 71 in round two tied for the second-lowest 18 holes in the tournament.
Marcella Mercer (Bigfork, Montana / Flathead) was among the top-20 finishers with a score of 77-75—152 (+8), tying for 11th place. The sophomore recorded a team-best six birdies and topped the field in par-5 scoring (4.63 average, -3).
The Generals improved by two positions on the final day of the tournament and tied for third in team scoring. The squad turned in a card of 306-306 to finish 39-over par.
The University of Redlands, originally picked No. 7 in the preseason poll, saw a similar jump in rank after winning the team title on the El Campeon Golf Course. The Bulldogs received 287 points and are tied for first with Emory University, who did not compete at the preview.
The University of Texas at Dallas, who claimed the runner-up position received 217 votes, moved to No. 8 after previously being ranked No. 20.
Washington and Lee return to the tee box in Montgomery, Ala. next weekend for the MCC Intercollegiate hosted by Huntingdon College on Saturday, September 24 through Monday the 26th.
DIVISION III MIZUNO WGCA COACHES POLL
| Rank | University (First Place Votes) | Points |
|
T1 |
Emory University (8) |
287 |
|
T1 |
University of Redlands (4) |
287 |
|
3 |
George Fox University |
241 |
|
T4 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
230 |
|
T4 |
Methodist University |
230 |
|
6 |
Washington and Lee University |
227 |
|
7 |
Washington University in St. Louis |
224 |
|
8 |
University of Texas at Dallas |
217 |
|
T9 |
Amherst College |
172 |
|
T9 |
Center College |
172 |
|
11 |
Pomona-Pitzer |
170 |
|
T12 |
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps |
160 |
|
T12 |
Williams College |
160 |
|
14 |
New York University |
133 |
|
15 |
Illinois Wesleyan University |
126 |
|
16 |
University of Wisconsin, Whitewater |
90 |
|
17 |
Rhodes College |
82 |
|
18 |
St. Catherine University |
75 |
|
19 |
Carleton College |
74 |
|
20 |
Bethel University |
73 |
|
21 |
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor |
59 |
|
22 |
Grinnell College |
58 |
|
23 |
Denison University |
45 |
|
T24 |
Hamilton College |
36 |
|
T24 |
Middlebury College |
36 |
|
Others Receiving Votes: University of California, Santa Cruz (33); Carthage College (29); Christopher Newport University (29); Trinity University (Texas) (25); Oglethorpe University (24); University of Lynchburg (23); Central College (15); Gustavus Adolphus College (13); Sewanee: The University of the South (12); California Lutheran University (10); Berry College (7); University of Wisconsin-La Crosse (5); Ohio Northern University (4); Adrian College (3); York College of Pennsylvania (2); Rose Hulman Institute of Technology (1); Wellesley College (1) |
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