Cortland Wins Empire 8 Women's Golf Championship

Cortland Wins Empire 8 Women's Golf Championship

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Tiffany Schapira Top Individual; Hannah Fitzgerald Top Rookie

Team Standings | Individual Standings | PHOTO GALLERY 

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. – Cortland claimed the top five individual spots, led by tournament champion Tiffany Schapira, as the Red Dragons easily captured the team title at the Empire 8 Women's Golf Fall Championship. The tournament was conducted Saturday and Sunday at the Ballston Spa Country Club.
 
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Megan Fitzgerald (Rookie) and
Tiffany Schapira (Player)
with head coach Joe Testori.
Cortland, in its first year as an Empire 8 women's golf affiliate member, won the crown with a two-day score of 682. The Red Dragons recorded a 344 on the opening day and a 338 Sunday. Suffolk University was second in the 12-team field with a score of 765 (381-384), followed by St. John Fisher at 776 (397-379).
 
Five Cortland golfers earned first-team all-league honors, which are awarded to the top five placers at the tournament. Schapira, a junior, is the league's Golfer of the Year after winning the league title with a two-day score of 164. She carded an 82 each day. Freshman Hannah Fitzgerald earned Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors with her second-place showing. She registered an 86 and an 85 for a 171.
 
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First Team All-Conference

Freshman Kristin Scali, senior Anna Haley  and junior Bri Sovring were Cortland's other first-team all-league honorees. Scali finished third with an 89 and an 84 for a 173. Haley and Sovring tied for fourth with final scores of 176. Haley posted an 87 and 89, with Sovring the reverse with an 89 and an 87.  
 
Schapira led the tournament with 19 pars, with Fitzgerald and Sovring tied for second with 14 pars each. Haley was the tournament leader with three birdies, followed by Scali with two birdies. As a team, Cortland recorded 70 pars and seven birdies during the 36-hole event.

Elmira's Audrey Clarke, who began the final round in fourth place, slipped two spots down the leaderboard to finish in sixth, making her the highest-rated player in the tournament not from SUNY Cortland. Clarke amassed a two-day score of 179 (+35) after carding a 19-over-par 91 in the second round. Although she was 12-up at the turn, Clarke cleaned up nicely on the back nine. She began the final stretch by parring the 10th and 11th holes, and the senior standout was also even on the 483-yard, par-5 13th and the 128-yard, par-3 17th.
 
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Second Team All-Conference

For her efforts, Clarke received E8 All-Conference Second Team accolades.

Joining Clarke on the second team was Keuka's Holly Reynolds. Reynolds posted a 180 for the tournament, finishing in 7th place. She opened with an 89 on day one and shot a 91 on Sunday. 

Rhode Island College's Megan Mahan and Nicole Langella tied with St. John Fisher's Emily Schultz for eighth overall with a two-day score of 184.  

EMPIRE 8 FALL CHAMPIONSHIP (Oct. 14-15, 2017)

FINAL TEAM SCORES:

Place, School                               Day 1-Day 2-Total Score
1) Cortland .                                  344-338-682
2) Suffolk                                       381-384-765
3) St. John Fisher                          397-379-776
4) Johnson & Wales                       400-389-789
5) Keuka                                         403-398-801
6) Elmira                                         414-396-810
7) Rhode Island College                 426-386-812
8) Utica                                           447-400-847
9) Westfield St.                               444-409-853
10) Husson                                     461-421-882
11) Canton                                      480-460-940
Nazareth                                         454-inc.
 

INDIVIDUAL SCORES (TOP 10)
(Top 5 are first team all-conference; Places 6-10 are second team)

Place, Name (School)                     Day 1-Day 2-Total Score
1) Tiffany Schapira (Cortland)           82-82-164
2) Hannah Fitzgerald (Cortland)       86-85-171
3) Kristin Scali (Cortland)                 89-84-173
T4) Anna Haley (Cortland)               87-89-176
T4) Brianna Sovring (Cortland)        89-87-176
6) Audrey Clarke (Elmira)                88-91-179
7) Holly Reynolds (Keuka)               89-91-180
T8) Nicole Langella (RIC)                98-86-184
T8) Megan Mahan (RIC)                  95-89-184
T8) Emily Schultz (St. John Fisher)  99-85-184
 

 
(61 golfers competed)