The Virginia Women’s Golf team opened their fall season this past weekend in Charleston, South Carolina, where they placed third at the annual Cougar Classic.
The 16th-ranked Cavaliers wrapped up the three-day tournament early Tuesday afternoon with a 2-under 290, which put the team total for the tournament at 1-over 865. Virginia placed behind 8th-ranked Arkansas and just one shot back of tournament runner-up Georgia. Florida and Clemson rounded out the top five finishers for the tournament, respectively.
Individually, senior Elizabeth Szokol, a transfer from Northwestern playing in her second season as a Cavalier, led the way for Virginia, posting a 1-under 215 for the tournament in her first competitive rounds since suffering an injury last spring. Her aggregate score was good for seventh place overall, her third career top-10 finish. Behind Szokol, freshman Morgan Gonzales performed well in her first collegiate performance, finishing 11th overall at even-par 216 after leading the team in Tuesday’s final round with a 3-under 69.
Coach Kim Lewellen expressed excitement about the solid start to the season for her squad, particular the play of the two veterans Szokol and junior Lauren Diaz-Yi, who also played her first competitive rounds since her injury last spring.
“I felt this was a great start to our season,” Lewellen said. “Elizabeth Szokol and Lauren Diaz-Yi have barely played competitive golf since the NCAA’s last May. For them to shake off the rust and bounce back and perform at that level is impressive.”
Lewellen also did not fail to mention the outstanding play of the team’s freshman players.
“The freshmen all played well and both of our individuals were outstanding. This tournament demonstrated that the team has a lot of depth, which is good for this year and years to come.”
The team will not get much rest, as they travel to Nashville, Tennessee this weekend for the three-day Mason Rudolph tournament, which takes place from Sept 18-20.
Read More
In second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, Virginia slated for Columbia Regional
By Ben McNiff | 1 hours agoVirginia begins Regional play Friday at 3 p.m. versus North Florida, with coverage available on ESPN+.
Live tracker: the men’s basketball offseason
By Michael Liebermann , Emory Huffman and Xander Tilock | 1 hours agoA frenetic offseason likely awaits.
'The Måns Dahlberg show' is kicking into gear, just in time for Virginia’s title chase
By Thomas Baxter | YesterdayHe's one man during the first few months of the season, quite another in the final two.
