2014 SCAC Women's Golf Championship - Preview

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The 2014 SCAC Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships tees off Monday, April 21 and will run through Tuesday, April 22. Official Website

The men’s teams will play 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday while the women’s teams will play 18 holes each day. All teams will play an 18-hole practice round on Sunday.

Southwestern is the defending SCAC women's golf champions. After winning the program's sixth overall SCAC title, the Pirates received an at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship and finished seventh out of 21 schools.

As for 2014, three of the SCAC’s five women’s teams are either ranked or receiving votes in the latest Golf World/WGCA Division III College Coaches’ Poll. Trinity University is 16th, Southwestern University is 17th, and Schreiner University is receiving the most votes of any team outside of the top 25. 

The 16th-ranked Trinity University Tigers are paced by a pair of outstanding freshmen as Hanna Niner is averaging a team-best 80.43 strokes per round (tied for 73rd in the nation in scoring average) and Christine Campbell is just behind her teammate at 80.79 strokes per round (84th in the nation). Last year's SCAC Freshman-of-the-Year and Golfer-of-the-Year, sophomore Brigette Lee, is averaging 83.21 strokes per round.

17th-ranked Southwestern University, the defending SCAC champion, is led by sophomore Bernice Leonard and senior Ali Walden, who are tied for the team lead with an 81.60 strokes per round average. Sophomore Keely Coburn, who was Second Team All-SCAC a year ago, is third on the Pirates with an 84.33 storkes per round average.

Schreiner University enters its inaugural SCAC women's golf tournament just outside the Golf World/WGCA Coaches Poll Top 25. The Mountaineers are led by freshman Gabby Davis who is averaging 80.13 strokes per round (tops in the SCAC and 62nd in the nation) and earned medalist honors at the Schreiner Women's Shootout in March. Sophomore Sierra Sanchez is averaging 82.25 strokes per round and sophomore Amber Hernandez follows closely with an average of 83.46.

Centenary College is led by sophomore Jamie Wright, a First-Team All-SCAC performer in 2013, who is averaging 82.47 strokes per round in 2014. Freshman Taylor Thompson follows for the Ladies at 82.89 strokes per round and senior Sarah Bradshaw averages 84.70 strokes per round.

Texas Lutheran University, also participating in its first SCAC women's golf championship, has two golfers with sub 90 stroke averages. Sophomore Gabby Rangel is averaging 88.45 strokes per round and junior Autumn Durst follows closely at 88.50 strokes per round. The Bulldog teammates tied for medalist honors at the Louisiana College Invitational back in October.

For complete coverage of the 2014 SCAC Men's and Women's Golf Championships, including links to live hole-by-hole results and live video on the 9th and 18th holes, click here:

http://scacsports.com/tournament/spring/golf/index