ELGIN, S.C. - Elizabeth England (Oakland, Tenn.) capped off an exceptional junior season by tying for 21st on Wednesday after shooting an 18-over 234 at the NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championships South Super Regional, which was being played at The Members Club at Woodcreek in Elgin, S.C.
"I feel like I played pretty solidly," England said. "There were a couple holes where things happened, but for the most part, I'm glad my score was lower and my game was moving in the right direction."
On the first hole of the day, England recorded her fourth birdie of the tournament, scoring a three on the par-4 first. That was followed by bogeys on the second, fourth and eighth, putting England two-over on the front nine. Two more bogeys on the back nine to go with seven pars gave her a mark of four-over for the day and put the junior at +18 over the competition's 54 holes.
This final round marked the end of one of the best seasons ever by an Eagle golfer. England became the first student-athlete in program history to earn All-South Atlantic Conference first-team honors for three consecutive seasons, as well as the first player to win three events in one year. She earned top medalist honors at the SAC Championships, the first Eagle to do so since Sarah Jane Sinard in 2009, and in doing so, set a new conference tournament record with final score of a two-under 214.
"I'm really happy with how the season went," England said. "Hopefully next year will be even better and we can make it to regionals as a team. I'm glad that I was able to improve as well."
The three individual qualifiers who will move on to play in the NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championships in Findlay, Ohio were Kiira Riihijarvi of Tampa, who topped the individual leaderboard with a four-over 220, Brittany LaPadula from Florida Tech, who placed 2nd, and St. Leo's Marie Coors, who finished third. The individual spots were granted to the three competitors who weren't part of teams that are also moving on to the championships.
Barry University took home the top spot in Elgin with a 54-over 918. Also advancing to the NCAA Championships is second-place Rollins, after posting a 59-over 923 and Lee University won a playoff with Lee University to claim the final spot in Ohio.
For news and updates regarding the Carson-Newman women's golf program, visit cneagles.com and follow @cnathletics on Twitter.
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