Georgetown Set To Defend Women's Golf Crown
CALLAWASSIE ISLAND, S.C. – The BIG EAST Women’s Golf Championship Presented by Jeep is returning to the Callawassie Island Golf Club for a third straight year with Georgetown aiming to defend its league crown won in 2017. The Championship, which will be held April 20-22, is scheduled for 54 holes over three days.
The BIG EAST will crown a team champion, which earns an automatic berth to the NCAA Championship. The competition is scheduled to begin each day at 8 a.m. ET. All rounds of the Championships, which will be played on the Dogwood and Magnolia Courses, are free and open to the public. The following week, the BIG EAST Men’s Golf Championship also will be held at Callawassie Island April 29-May 1.
Friday’s threesomes will be determined by team and player seedings while Saturday’s and Sunday’s groupings are assembled from the previous day’s leaderboard. Six BIG EAST schools participate in women’s golf – Butler, Creighton, Georgetown, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Xavier.
In 2017, Georgetown won its first BIG EAST women’s golf championship after finishing as the runner-up for three straight years to Seton Hall. The Hoyas won with a team score of 896 (+32), nine strokes ahead of second-place Butler (905, +41). Georgetown led by eight strokes going into the final round and held firm to secure the crown.
Junior Alexa Popowitz and senior Jacquelyn Eleey are two leading Hoya returnees. Popowitz took fourth in last year’s Championship with a score of 223 (+7). Eleey was one stroke back at 224 (+8) in a tie for fifth. Both have performed well at the Conference tournament during their careers. Popowitz finished seventh two years ago. As a freshman in 2015, Eleey was the league’s individual champion. Junior Christina Parcells is also expected to be a strong contender. Going into the Championship, Golfstat ranks Eleey No. 1 in the individual standings with Parsells fifth and Popowitz 10th.
This year, Georgetown holds the top team seed, according to Golfstat, going into the Championship followed by Seton Hall, Xavier, St. John’s, Butler and Creighton.
Seton Hall senior Cassie Pantelas will be eyeing her third straight top-5 finish. She is coming off a tie for second place last year. As a team, the Pirates have had a strong year, posting three titles in nine tournaments in 2017-18. The Hall boasts four of the top-seven Golfstat-ranked players in the conference, including freshman Mia Kness, who leads the team with a 75.09 average. She won the individual title of the Brown Bear Invitational to close the fall season.
Butler took second-place in last year’s Championship with Lauren Tibbets leading the way. She shot a two-under-par 70 in the final round to take individual honors with a two-over-par 218. This year, Tibbets, a sophomore, is joined by a strong senior group that includes Kelsey MacDougall, Abigail Gleixner and Rachel Gathof, along with sophomore Betsy Werner. Tibbets has two wins while MacDougall has one. The team has posted top-three finishes in five tourneys this season.
Xavier finished fourth last year, after a third-place finish two years ago. This year, sophomore Mikayla Fitzpatrick has led the Musketeers, who have six top-10 finishes this year. The team won its last event, the Colonel Classic, going into the Championship. Fitzpatrick leads the team with a 75.23 stroke average. In last year’s championship, Fitzpatrick and Mikayla Smith tied for 10th place. Fitzpatrick was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
St. John’s has taken first place in two of its last three tournaments. Freshman Andrea Sanchez won medalist honors at the Sacred Heart Invitational, the team’s most recent competition. Sophomore Linda Wang is the highest ranked St. John’s golfer, according to Golfstat. She is ninth in the BIG EAST with an average score of 76.82. Sophomore Kaitleen Shee is 13th with an average score of 77.40. Shee was the team’s highest finisher in last year’s Championship, taking eighth place.
Creighton has shown an improving team this spring. The Bluejays want to move up from their sixth-place finish last year. Senior Sarah Eversman owns Creighton’s two best single-season scoring averages in the past 15 years, including a 78.2 average this spring that tops the chart. As a team, CU’s 319.0 stroke average per round is also shaping up to be its best mark in 15 years. Eversman finished 15th last year.
The BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) will provide coverage of the final rounds on
www.bigeast.com. Additional information on the championship courses is available at
www.callawassieisland.com.
BIG EAST Team Notes
BUTLER
The Bulldogs are led by junior Lauren Tibbets, the 2017 BIG EAST individual champion. Butler’s entire lineup from last year returns as Tibbets is joined by seniors Kelsey McDougall, Abigail Gleixner and Rachel Gathof, along with sophomore Betsy Werner. The team had top-three finishes in five tourneys this season.
CREIGHTON
Sarah Eversman owns Creighton’s two best single-season scoring averages in the past 15 years, including a 78.2 average this spring that tops the chart. As a team, CU’s 319.0 stroke average per round is also shaping up to be its best mark in 15 years.
GEORGETOWN
The Hoyas, winners of four tournaments this season, look to defend their BIG EAST Championship. Senior Jacquelyn Eleey, the 2015 BIG EAST Individual Champion, leads GU with a 74.89 stroke average and has won two tournaments this year. Junior Alexa Popowitz, the 2017 BIG EAST Golfer of the Year, has also claimed medalist honors this season. Fellow junior Christina Parsells is coming off a top-10 finish at the Bryan National Collegiate, which featured 11 top-50 programs.
ST. JOHN’S
The Red Storm have taken first place in two of their last three tournaments. Freshman Andrea Sanchez won medalist honors at the Sacred Heart Invitational, the team’s most recent competition. Sophomore Linda Wang is the highest ranked St. John’s golfer, according to Golfstat. She is ninth in the BIG EAST with an average score of 76.82. Sophomore Kaitleen Shee is 13th with an average score of 77.40. Shee was the team’s highest finisher in last year’s Championship, taking eighth place.
SETON HALL
The Pirates will be looking for their fourth BIG EAST Championship in the last five years. Senior Cassie Pantelas will be eyeing her third straight top-5 finish. She is coming off a tie for second place in last year’s championship. As a team, the Pirates have had a strong year, posting three titles in nine tournaments in 2017-18. The Hall boasts four of the top-seven Golfstat-ranked players in the conference, including freshman Mia Kness, who leads the team with a 75.09 average. She won the individual title at the Brown Bear Invitational to close the fall season.
XAVIER
Sophomore Mikayla Fitzpatrick has led the Musketeers, who have six top-10 finishes this year. The team won its last event, the Colonel Classic, going into the Championship. Fitzpatrick leads the team with a 75.23 stroke average. In last year’s championship, Fitzpatrick and Mikayla Smith tied for 10th place. Fitzpatrick was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.