Ithaca to Host Women's Golf Empire 8 Championships This Weekend
Tournament Info
2016 Empire 8 Women's Championships
Country Club of Ithaca – Ithaca, N.Y.
Saturday, October 1, 2016 | 12:30 P.M. | Opening Round
Sunday, October 2, 2016 | 10:30 A.M. | Final Round
Link to Tournament Webpage |
Link to GolfStat Webpage
Empire 8 Tournament History
This weekend marks the eighth installment of the Empire 8's annual tournament. The Bombers have dominated proceedings at the event, which the conference instituted for the first time in 2009. IC has won the team title at each of the last six tournaments dating back to 2010. The individual champion has also been a representative of the Bombers each of the last four tournaments. Current IC assistant coach,
Sharon Li, holds the record as the conference's only three-time individual champion.
Scouting Elmira
The Soaring Eagles have participated in four tournaments through the opening month of action in 2016-17. Elmira is coming off its best performance of the fall, carding a team total of 379 to take first place at its home invitational this past Tuesday. EC has one other top-five team finish to its credit, as it secured fourth place in the team's season debut at the Utica Invite. Junior, Audrey Clarke, is the team's top talent, leading the Soaring Eagles in every tournament thus far. Her 18-hole average sits at 86.57, while she has carded a low-round of 77 (+4) in the final day of the Utica Invite.
Scouting Ithaca
The Bombers has participated in three tournaments in advance of this weekend's E8 Championships. IC has scored top-three finishes in all three appearances, which includes a team title at the 2016 William Smith Invite. Ithaca is led by senior,
Kimberley Wong, and junior,
Indiana Jones. Wong paces the squad with an average round of 78.50 on the year, while Jones is right on her heels with a 78.67 average. Jones is coming off her best appearance to-date, as she carded a season-low round of 72 (E), eventually going on to win the individual medalist title at last weekend's Martin-Wallace Invite at Cortland Country Club.
Scouting Nazareth
The Golden Flyers have appeared in two tournaments thus far this fall, posting eighth-place finishes at both the Utica Invite and the William Smith Invite. Freshman, Katherine Babuka, is the team's leading scorer heading into the weekend, averaging a 104 per 18 holes. She has improved her career-low round with each subsequent outing, breaking 100 for the first time in her collegiate career with a 96 in the final round of the William Smith Invite. Classmate, Olivia Dowdle, is also right with Babuka, averaging 104.75 per round this season.
Scouting St. John Fisher
The Cardinals also have appeared in two tournaments prior to this weekend's conference championships. St. John Fisher posted a ninth place finish in its season-opening tournament at the William Smith Invite. Most recently, the team came in seventh at the Martin-Wallace Invite, hosted by SUNY Cortland. Senior, Megan Bleck, is the team's leader through the first month, averaging a 99 per 18 holes this season. She is coming off a tie for 33rd place at the Martin-Wallace Invite. Second-year player, Victoria Maddalone, is averaging a 103.25 per round to rank second on the Cardinals' squad.
Scouting Utica
The Pioneers are fielding a women's varsity golf program for the first time in 2016-17. Utica has appeared in three tournaments as a team this fall, opening the year with a ninth-place finish at the St. Lawrence Invitational. The Pioneers followed that with a sixth-place effort at its home invite the following weekend and the program's first team title at the SUNY Canton Invite held on September 23. Freshman, Kara O'Driscoll, paces the group with an 18-hole average of 94.33 through six rounds this season. She is coming off back-to-back third-place showings at the SUNY Canton Invite and a solo appearance at the Elmira Invite earlier this week. Senior, Jane Pagano, is not far behind O'Driscoll, as she averages a 98 per round this season.