Ithaca Defends Empire 8 Women's Golf Championship This Weekend
Ithaca College seeks its second consecutive Empire 8 Women’s Golf Championship at Mill Creek Golf Course on Saturday and Sunday. The Bombers won the inaugural championship by 44 strokes over runner-up St. John Fisher College.
The top five scorers at the end of the tournament will earn first-team all-conference honors with the next five finishers being named to the second team.
The Bombers are coming off a third-place finish at the St. Lawrence Invitational, shooting the two best rounds in the program’s history and improving on their score in the same tournament last season by 54 strokes. First-year players Sharon Li (eighth) and Kelsey Baker (10th) were the team’s top finishers. Ithaca returns first-team all-conference performer and Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Amanda Failla and second-team honoree Jackie Young.
St. John Fisher returns Empire 8 Player of the Year Alex Battle, who overcame a four-shot deficit after the first round last year, to capture the medalist honors. Battle won this past weekend’s St. Lawrence Invitational, posting a career-low round of 72 on Saturday. Junior Katie Joslyn earned second-team all-conference honors in last year’s championship.
Sophomore Jamie Schmidt placed 33rd individually to lead Nazareth College at the St. Lawrence Invitational.
Senior Kristen Niemann of Elmira College returns after garnering second-team all-conference recognition a year ago. Junior Jessica VanLeuvan was the top Soaring Eagles finisher at the St. Lawrence Invitational.