After starting off with a loss at Abilene Christian (the second season-opening loss in a row to the Wildcats), the NWMSU plowed through the MIAA to become conference champions.  They avenged their loss to ACU in the second round of the playoffs and other than a scare at Central Washington had a comfortable run at the championship.  This season will potentially be more of the same.

They return All-American receiver Jake Soy, who was named the nation’s top receiver in 2009, and All-MIAA QB Blake Bolles to lead the Bearcat offense along with Pre-Season All-American lineman Brett Grozinger, a finalist for the Gene Upshaw Award last season.  The defense will be anchored by All-MIAA and Pre-Season All-American Chad Kilgore and All-MIAA defensive back Ryan Jones.

While the Bearcats open at home against Texas A&M-Kingsville from the LSC, they only have three other home games.  Key contests will occur on the road against Nebraska-Omaha, Washburn, Central Missouri and the Fall Classic at Arrowhead vs. Pittsburg State.

D2 Sports Network predicts the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats will finish the season with a 13-1 record and repeat as MIAA and National Champions.

“What a win,” said Coach Bryan Nakasone. “It was a long road and nothing came easily and especially not this game.”

HPU posed little threat through four innings, and trailed 2-0 after the Lady Blazers plated two first inning runs. Then in the fifth inning, the Sea Warriors sent 10 batters to the plate and put four runs on the board. VSU countered with a run in the bottom of the inning to cut the score to 4-3.

Sherise Musquiz (34-3) earned the win but not before some tense moments in the seventh inning. Colette Rollins walked to load the bases with just one out, but pinch hitter Amy Brightwell lined to Caira Pires at third for the second out. Musquiz then got April Hutchins to fly out to centerfielder Kozy Toriano for the game’s final out.

“What a way to go out in my last year,” said senior second baseman Casey Sugihara. “It still hasn’t sunk in yet.”

Holly Satterfield pitched four and one-third innings for the loss, allowing three runs on four hits. Alyssa Shirey posted two hits and two RBI for VSU, and Amber Shaw recorded two hits and one run scored.

Ciera Senas led HPU in her final performance as a Sea Warrior, recording two hits and one run.

After the game, Sugihara, Ciera Senas, Nicole Morrow, and Sherise Musquiz were named to the All-Tournament Team. Musquiz was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after going 4-0 on the week.

– Courtesy Hawaii Pacific Athletics

Said head coach John Jez after the game, “It was a very exciting game. We go into halftime down by three goals… then our offense came together and started to play as a unit and we were able to get more points on the board.”

Sophomore attacker Eddie Plompen (West Islip, N.Y.) led the Pioneers with four goals and was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player.

The Pioneers opened the game with a 3-0 lead with goals from sophomore attacker Keith Rodriguez (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.), senior midfielder Joe Meo (West Sayville, N.Y.) and Plompen.

The Dolphins (15-2) got on the board when junior attacker Jack Harmatuk (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored an unassisted out front with 6:37 to play in the first quarter to cut the lead to 3-1.

The Pioneers got the goal back when Rodriguez scored on a spin-around shot in front of the goal at 5:11. Le Moyne’s offense began to heat up with two unanswered goals from senior attacker Mike Rabbitt (Simsbury, Conn.) and sophomore midfielder Taylor Brooks (Cypress, Texas) with 34 seconds to play in the first quarter.

C.W. Post scored the final goal of the first quarter when senior midfielder Mike Cama (Levittown, N.Y.) grabbed the ground ball on the following faceoff and rushed in to score with 30 seconds remaining.

The comfort level that the Pioneers were feeling with a two-goal lead would not last long as the Dolphins took control of the tempo in the game and outscored the visitors, 5-0, in the second quarter to head for the locker room with an 8-5 lead. Harmatuk led the way with a pair of goals for the Dolphins.

The Dolphins outshot the Pioneers, 17-14, in the half. C.W. Post was charged with eight turnovers compared to Le Moyne’s four.

In the third quarter, C.W. Post’s offense reemerged and scored four unmatched goals, including two from Meo, as well as freshman attacker Justin Patterson (Corning, N.Y.) and junior attacker Nick Coric (Walnut Creek, Calif.) to reclaim the lead, 9-8, heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was highlighted by Plompen who registered a hat-trick, including the game’s final goal with 3:10 on the clock on a pass from Coric. Junior midfielder Mike Messina (Sayville, N.Y.) added a goal and Rodriguez scored his third goal of the game.

Both teams were even in shots with 32 apiece but the Pioneers held a 36-17 advantage in ground balls. In addition, C.W. Post was 13-for-14 on clears compared to Le Moyne’s 8-for-12.

Plompen closed out the game with four goals and assist to lead all players with five points while Rodriguez and Meo each added three goals. Senior defender Bryan Leonard (Yorktown, N.Y.) helped led the defense with two caused turnovers and picked up three ground balls.

Cama was 15-for-26 on face-offs in the game.

Junior goalkeeper Mike Giordano (Farmingdale, N.Y.) made five saves in goal to improve his record to 7-0 this season.

Harmatuk led the Dolphins with three goals with an assist and junior attacker Vinnie Alexander (Syracuse, N.Y.) added two in the game.

– Courtesy LIU-CWP Athletics

Western Washington University won its sixth straight national team title Sunday at the ninth annual NCAA Division II Women’s Rowing National Championships held on Lake Natoma at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center.

It is the first time that a school in any NCAA rowing division has claimed six straight crowns since the NCAA began a rowing championship in 1997.

“It was a great year,” said Western coach John Fuchs (12th year). “What an awesome team. They had great chemistry. They’re nice kids and good students and they worked well with each other. It was really a fun year, a fun group to coach for sure.”

For the first in their championship run, Western did not win the varsity eight, finishing four seats behind Mercyhurst PA. But that result, combined with an impressive five boat-length victory by the four, was enough for another championship.

“It was a helluva race,” Fuchs said. “Hats off to Mercyhurst, they’ve got a good crew and are well coached. It was a great race. Our kids didn’t leave anything out there. It was close the whole way with some good times.”

The Vikings’ four dominated, completing the 2,000-meter course in 7:25.35, over 18 seconds better than second-place Florida Tech (7:43.84) with Philadelphia third (7:56.92).

“They had probably their best race of the year, and it’s always good to do that on a day like today,” said Fuchs. “The field wasn’t that strong, but our kids had a great run. I think that’s the best time or pretty close to the best time we’ve ever posted down here.”

Mercyhurst led throughout the eight race, edging Western, ranked No.1 in the USRowing/Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association NCAA II Poll, by 2.39 seconds. Mercyhurst, which placed second last year after entering the final rated No.1, won the 2004 national title, the last time the Vikings lost to a Division II opponent in the varsity eight, when they placed third.

“Mercyhurst was a little faster today,” Fuchs said. “They earned the right to say that they’re the best eight out there.”

Western took the team championship with 20 points, followed by Seattle Pacific 11, Philadelphia 10 and Florida Tech 9. Mercyhurst was not eligible because the Lakers only got an at-large bid for their varsity eight.

FULL STORY

– Courtesy WWU Athletics

The nine members of the ASU Rambelles track and field team that headed to the NCAA Division II National Track and Field Championships this week in Charlotte, N.C., will be returning home with the program’s first national championship trophy.

By capturing 50 points in their final six events, the Rambelles ran away with the title, beating second place finisher and defending champion Lincoln University by 14 points, 87-73. And, it was a total team effort. Senior Aisha “Ice” Adams scored points in all six events she entered, including an individual national championship in the heptathlon. Senior Chrystal Ruiz scored points in multiple events, senior Andria Nussey rebounded from a poor showing in the long jump to set a new school record and place second in the 800-meters, and senior Celethia Byrd won an individual national championship in the 400-meter dash and finished third in the 200-meter dash, a result that clinched the title for ASU.

“I just said ‘thank you Lord,’” Byrd said. “That is all that was running through my mind. I was very happy, and to hear my time was a new personal record, it made me feel good. Most of all, I may not have to run the mile relay. That’s awesome!”

Byrd’s points from the 200-meters put the Rambelles ahead by 12 points with only the 4×400-meter (mile) relay left to run. That meant no team could catch them, regardless of what they did in that final race. What they did, though, was put their final stamp on the national meet by winning the relay in a school record 3:38.88 with Byrd on the track running the anchor leg. The result had coaches James Reid, Tom Dibbern and Gary Gabriel yelling, fist-pumping and high-fiving in the stands.

“That is unbelievable,” Dibbern said. “When it’s going right, it’s going right.”

“This is a great feeling,” he added. “It hurt real bad last year when we lost it, but this has totally erased it. Coaching-wise, I’ve never had a feeling like this. It’s the best feeling I’ve ever had coaching. It’s truly worth it.”

After confirming that his team had clinched the title, Reid finally calmed down enough to begin the task of texting the great news to just about everyone he knows.

“I asked Coach Dibbern about nine times if he was sure before I called anybody,” Reid said. “I called my wife and told her because they have been following it on the internet. I called my parents and I called Coach (Kathleen) Brasfield, Coach (David) Noble and a bunch of people who have had a lot of influence on me. It’s still a little surreal right now.”

“I just can’t say enough about the girls,” he added. “What helped us was nine young ladies busting their butts for three days straight and coming into this year with a goal and wanting to do it. Even over the last three days when we’ve had not such good things happen, they have been resilient, not lost sight of the goal and came up big time after time. I just can’t say enough about them.”

Meanwhile, the Rams were also in a battle to achieve their goal of finishing in the top 10 at the national meet. Their day started with junior Tyler Orlando and sophomore Jacob McDonald placing third and seventh in the javelin, gaining eight points for the team and All-America status for themselves.

In the discus, junior Wade Goode also garnered All-America status by finishing eighth and earning a point for his team. The 4×100-meter relay team of James Howell, Ryan Adkins, Brian Holik and Nick Smith became All-Americans with a sixth-place finish that picked up three points. Howell also set a new school record with a 45.95 in the 400-meters that was good enough for third place and six valuable points.

The Rams also capped off their national meet in style with a second-place finish in the 4×400-meter relay in 3:06.44, the second-fastest time in school history. That race finally let junior Terence Holland showcase his talents as, due to weather delays, he was forced to wait until the final event of the meet to get on the track.

“With all that waiting, something good was bound to happen,” Holland said. “I was ready to go last night in the rain, but had to keep the animal in the cage. This was my one shot and I wanted to make it my best one. Second-fastest time in school history, you can’t get mad about that.”

The final race also provided another shot at success for freshman Isidro Garcia, who missed qualifying for the individual 400-meters by mere hundredths of a second. Now, he is also an All-American.

“That is a great way to finish off the year,” he said. “I’m glad that we came out and competed to the best of our ability. I went into the race wanting to run a :46, but skipped right past that and ran a :45.7 and that is a big jump for me. Second place in the nation is really something big.”

When the dust had settled, the Rams had also achieved their goal as they finished tied for ninth place with 26 points.

“I’m proud of our girls,” Garcia said, “and I’m glad they are going to celebrate a national championship. But, top 10 in the nation is also something big for the guys and we are really glad to have gotten that high up.”

“I think we are going to get a lot of coverage because we won the championship with the women,” Reid said. “But, I don’t want to take anything away from the men because they had a great meet. There has only been a few times when both men’s and women’s teams have finished in the top 10 at a national meet, and that is something we wanted to do coming in.”

“For the guys to do it the way they did it by running that great mile relay was incredible,” he added. “They put it together and made it happen. It’s awesome, totally awesome.”

FULL STORY

– Courtesy ASU Sports Information

The Falcons ran away with the men’s competition on the third day, outscoring second-place challenger Abilene Christian 82 to 62. Central Missouri finished third with 38 points.

The Falcons won their 31st NCAA crown overall behind Josh Scott, who won the 200-meter and 400-meter dashes. Scott also anchored the winning 4×400 relay team and ran on the winning 4×100 squad.

Scott’s time of 45.11 seconds in the 400 is the 10th fastest in Division II history, and the 4×400 team’s time of 3:04.95 was the fastest in Division II this season. It was about two seconds faster than second-place Angelo State.

“This is second greatest achievement in my life,” said Scott, a junior from Winter Haven, Fla., says about his big day. “I can’t describe how happy I feel. Determination was the key to my success. There is no better way to go out.”

The Falcons started the day with five points but victories by Scott and Jason Boyd in the men’s 110 hurdles pushed the Falcons ahead by a comfortable margin about midway through the day. Boyd was the only runner in the 110 to cross the finish line in under 14 seconds (13.99), and Steve Simeus was seventh.

The Falcons sealed the victory in 200 when Scott finished first and teammates Richard Boone and Antonio Abney placed fourth and seventh, respectively. Abney also was fifth in the 400.

“The kids were on point,” legendary head coach George Williams said. “Everything was just so smooth. We didn’t give up anything. I got good performance from all my kids. You don’t win championships with one guy, you win championships with everybody.”

The Falcons set the tone earlier in the day in a near flawless performance in the 4×100 relay. The foursome of Scott, Boyd, Boone and Sean Stuart won easily in 39.75 seconds, the only time in the event under 40 seconds.

After Boyd and Scott both won their respective events, Boone (Fifth Place) and Stuart (Eighth Place) scored in the 100-meter dash to extend the Falcons’ lead to 13 points after 14 events. The Falcons finished strong with Scott winning the 200, and the 4×400 team including Scott, Boyd, Abney and Kelly Fisher racing to victory.

The Falcons also gained help from their jumpers. Christopher Copeland placed second in the high jump after facing Virginia State’s Hoova Taylor in a jump-off. Orolando Duffus was eighth in the triple jump after finishing fourth Thursday in the long jump. The combination of the sprinters and jumpers added up to another championship for Coach Williams and the Falcons.

In the women’s events, Barbara Pierre finished second in the 200 in 23.23 and Angelique Smith was seventh in the 400 in 55.17. The 4×400 relay team consisting of Pierre, Smith, Kyra Mobley and Sheena Johns placed third in 3:40.25, and the 4×100 team of Keisha Parris, Pierre, Smith and Johns was fourth in 45.53. The Lady Falcons placed 11th with 21 points in the women’s standings.

The national crown caps a marvelous athletic season for Saint Augustine’s College. The Falcons won seven CIAA championships, seven CIAA highest grade point average awards and the CIAA’s All-Sports Men’s Trophy for best men’s athletic program this season.

– Courtesy SAC Athletics

The victory is the first national title for the USI baseball program and the second national championship for the University. The first team national championship for the Screaming Eagles came in 1995 by the men’s basketball team.

USI won 42 of its last 49 games on its way to the title and went 13-2 in the post-season (GLVC and NCAA II Tournaments).

The Triton struck first in the opening frame with a pair of runs to lead 2-0. The Eagles bounced back with three runs in the top of the third. Senior rightfielder Caleb Ehmke (Waterloo, Illinois) cut the deficit in half, crossing the plate with USI’s first run when sophomore shortstop Brad Vance (Louisville, Kentucky) reached on a fielder’s choice.

USI took the lead for good, 3-2, on a two-run, bases-loaded, double by junior designated hitter Todd Martin (Rockport, Indiana).

The Eagles increased the margin to three with a pair of tallies in the top of the fourth on a two-run single by Vance. Vance’s three RBIs gave him the USI single-season record of 70 on the season, passing the 68 by teammate and junior catcher Dylan Mooney (St. Charles, Missouri) this year. Mooney was the first to pass the school record of 64 which was set by Jason Krack in 1994.

Vance drove in junior first baseman Adam Enright (Hammond, Indiana) and junior center-fielder Justin Blinn (Vincennes, Indiana), who had singled and doubled to start the fourth.

USI upped the advantage to 6-2 when Martin scored from third when UCSD right-hander Guido Knudson balked. Martin had opened the seventh with a walk and advanced to third on a single by senior shortstop Wandy Rosario (Boston, Massachusetts) and a fielder’s choice by junior leftfielder Michael Huling (South Bend, Indiana).

The  six runs were all junior right-hander Trevor Leach (Danville, Indiana) needed. Leach (12-1) got the Eagles through seven innings (and one batter in the eighth), allowing three runs on seven hits and three walks. The 12 wins also ties Leach with junior right-hander Taylor Dennis (Covington, Indiana) for the USI single-season record for wins.

Junior right-hander Dan Marcacci (Jupiter, Florida) came on to relieve Leach in the eighth and go the final six outs.

Dennis, who won his 12^th on Friday over Georgia College and State University to get the Eagles to the title game, was named the championship series Most Outstanding Player. He was joined on the NCAA II National Championship Series All-Tournament team by Blinn, Vance, Rosario, Martin, and senior third baseman Wes Fink (Clarksville, Tennessee).

– Courtesy Southern Indiana Athletics

Sophomore Erica Devito and junior Kaitlyn Carter each tallied five goals apiece to lead the Panthers.

Adelphi took a commanding 7-2 lead in the first half which began with Carter scoring on an assist from junior Elizabeth Fey at 28:39. The Golden Rams knotted the score at 24:18 as Erin Oczkowski found the back of the net on an assist from Shannon Hayes. Fey put the Panthers up again on a feed from sophomore Claire Petersen, but Lauren Glassey tied it on a free position goal, she had three in the game, at 17:47. But that would prove to be the last goal for WCU before the break, as stellar Panther defense teamed up with senior goalkeeper Caitlin Fitzpatrick, who tallied nine saves in the first half.

Adelphi did struggle in transition, only clearing 11 of 17 attempts in the first stanza, while committing 13 turnovers. But the offense remained strong, as the Panthers closed out the last 17:30 on a 4-0 run. Sophomore Marissa Mills netted the first of her three goals on a free position shot, followed by freshman Demmianne Cook adding her own 8-meter shot to make it 5-2. Fey scored her second goal on an assist from Petersen, while Carter had the last word on an unassisted shot following a fast break to give the Panthers a five-point cushion at intermission.

The rally continued in the second half as Carter paired up with Devito at 26:02 to make it 8-2. Devito added back to back goals, one on a free position and the second on a dish from Alison Incarnato at 23:32. Held scoreless for the last 30 minutes, the Golden Rams managed back to back free position goals to make it 10-4, at 18:14. Mills recorded her third goal at 17:43, but West Chester went on a 3-0 run, including two more free position goals to close the gap, 11-6, with 14:27 left to go. But that would be as close as they would get, as Adelphi closed on a 6-0 tear. Devito accounted for three of those goals, with Carter having the last word on an unassisted shot with 1:46 left in regulation.

The Golden Rams held an 11-4 draw control advantage in the second half, but it was strong defensive play by the Panthers that forced 12 turnovers. Cook led the way with three caused turnovers along with two ground balls in the contest, while graduate student Jackie Bogensberger and sophomore Courtney Acker scooped up three ground balls a piece while causing two turnovers. Adelphi also improved to clear 14 of 16 attempts in the second half.

Fitzpatrick, who was selected to the All-Tournament Team, finished with 14 saves. MacKenzie O’Keefe made four stops for West Chester.

Fey, who finished with three goals and one assist, was named Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament. Over the three-game tournament, she tallied seven goals, seven assists, three ground balls and three draw controls.

Joining Fitpatrick and Fey on the All-Tournament team, are Devito, Carter and senior Holly Burke.

The Panthers have defeated the Golden Rams in all three NCAA Championship meetings, including 2004 and 2006. They improve their overall NCAA record to 9-2 in six appearances.

– Courtesy Adelphi Athletics

Chico State had wrested the lead away from Florida Southern on Thursday, but one day later, the Moccasins grabbed it back. Only one stroke separated the two teams going into the final round, and the Mocs made up the difference right away and never surrendered the lead once they had it. Matt Stauch had a lot to do with that, as the senior birdied two of his first three holes and added another one on #6 that put him at three-under for the round. The Mocs also got a birdie from Jude Eustaquio on his first hole that officially put them ahead to stay.

Stauch continued to carry the Mocs the rest of the day, and it was fitting that his birdie putt on 18 was the final punch that allowed Florida Southern to celebrate its 12th national championship overall, the fifth under current head coach Doug Gordin, and their first since 2000. No other team has won more than six national championships at the Division II level.

Florida Southern was never far from first place at any point in the tournament, but Nova Southeastern and Chico State each had their day at the top of the standings. In the end, the Sharks really weren’t a factor, and the Mocs’ final round score of 307 was enough to widen the gap between them and Chico State. Central Missouri made it interesting though, with three eagles on the back nine that got them within five strokes; but the Mules finished ahead of Florida Southern and could only watch as the Moccasins did what they had to do.

The Mocs ended up having to count 81’s from both Eustaqio and Peter Creighton, but Chico State had a pair of 80’s to nearly balance it out. It was the first time all week Florida Southern counted a score over 80, and only the second time Chico State had to do it. Still, Creighton made his presence felt earlier with back-to-back rounds of 75 to start the tournament, and Eustaqio picked the Mocs up with a 72 in round two before his one-under par on the back nine Wednesday helped keep the Mocs within striking distance at the end of round three.

Where the Mocs really made up ground on Friday was with Shelton Smith and Stauch. Smith shot a two-over par 74 and Stauch finished with a 71. That was a total of 11 strokes better than Chico State’s top two counters and dead even with the top two from Central Missouri, which also had to count an 80.

The Moccasins didn’t count Danny Evelyn’s 82, but like Eustaqio and Creighton, Evelyn was part of the reason Florida Southern was even within striking distance going into Friday. His 73 on Thursday was the Mocs’ best score of the day and helped keep them within one shot of the lead.

The final round was historic before it ever began. Due to impending thunderstorms in the afternoon, the Division II Men’s Golf Committee utilized the administrative cut option under NCAA guidelines, and trimmed the field from 20 teams to 15, giving them a better chance of completing a full round. Also making the cut were the top seven golfers not on one of the 15 remaining teams, and tee times were adjusted to ensure an earlier finish.

It was the first time on record the NCAA was forced to use that option, and put schools like Florida Southern in a dangerous position. If the final round was not completed in its entirety, the score would revert back to the end of the third round, and Chico State would be crowned national champion.

Fortunately for the Moccasins, that didn’t happen. The round was completed, though higher winds than the first three days certainly played a role in Friday’s scores. Florida Southern, Chico State, Nova Southeastern and Western New Mexico, four of the top five teams entering the final round, all had their highest scores of the tournament.

Gordin’s assessment of the course early in the week proved to be correct too, as he called it one of the most difficult he’s seen in Division II golf. It was the first time since 1995 the national champion had a final score over 1,200. Florida Southern finished with a 4-day total of 1,206.

While Central Missouri was seven shots behind and Chico State eight back, defending national champion Sonoma State was in fourth place with a 10-stroke deficit. Barry, which had been ranked #1 in the country entering the finals, finished fifth with a margin of 12 strokes, and Nova Southeastern was sixth, 20 strokes behind Florida Southern.

The individual champion was individual qualifier Cyril Bouniol of Abilene Christian who was the only golfer in the field to break par. Holding on to his lead from Thursday, Bouniol shot a three-under 285 for the tournament, six strokes better than Justin Yoder of Central Missouri. Florida Southern’s Matt Stauch was third with a 293, trailing the Bouniol by eight shots.

Shelton Smith was tied for eighth with a 299, Jude Eustaquio tied for 30th with a 310, and both Danny Evelyn and Peter Creighton tied for 41st with scores of 312.

– Courtesy Florida Southern Athletics

“The season we just had is historic for NCAA Division II women’s golf,” said NSU head coach Kevin Marsh. “Nine team titles, including a conference and regional championship, eight individual titles, our fourth NCAA Division II National Player of the Year, our third NCAA Division II Freshman of the Year, and a team scoring average which was the lowest in Division II history. This is a season these girls and I will remember for the rest of our lives.”

The defending national champion Sharks led from start to finish in the 72-hole NCAA Division II National Championships. NSU raced out to an eight stroke lead after the first round of play and took control of the Championships in the second round by firing a tournament low team score of 285 to distance themselves by 29 strokes from the field. After gaining another six strokes in the third round, the Sharks punctuated their title by adding five more strokes to their lead in the final round to win by a total of 40 strokes.

“Since August there have been questions on a daily basis about the chances to repeat as National Champions and for nine months these girls have responded to every challenge they faced,” Marsh said. “I have not been around a more special group of people and Amanda and I are honored to have the opportunity to coach them each day.”

The top-ranked Sharks (298-285-296-301-1180) defeated No. 2 Rollins (306-306-302-306-1220) by 40-strokes for the title. No. 4 Florida Southern (317-302-303-299-1221) made it three Sunshine State Conference teams atop the leader board while No. 7 Tarleton State (311-305-306-300-1222) and No. 10 Sonoma State (313-305-305-313-1236) rounded out the top five positions.

“This was a great day and a great week in NSU Athletics,” said NSU Director of Athletics Michael Mominey. “Winning back-to-back national championships is a tremendous accomplishment. This is truly a credit to Kevin and assistant coach Amanda Brown who have done an outstanding job with these young ladies. They are not only two-time Champions; they are great ambassadors for the department and the University. They represent the department in a first-class way on and off the course. Their talent, chemistry, drive and determination to be the best they can is obvious once you watch them play one round of golf and spend time with them.”

While the team led from the get-go, three-time defending NCAA Division II National Player of the Year Sandra Changkija (Jr., Orlando, Fla.) erased a four-shot final round deficit to win the first individual title in NSU women’s golf program history. She finished the tournament at even-par (74-67-71-72-284).

Senior and four-time NGCA All-American Maria Garcia-Austt (Montevideo, Uruguay) tied for fourth place (75-74-78-72-299) while junior Nicole Whitmore (Milton Keyes, Fla.) tied for seventh place (75-75-73-79-302) to have three Sharks finish among the top-10. 2010 NCAA Division II National Freshman of the Year Abbey Gittings (Tamworth, Fla.) tied for 16th place (74-80-74-79-307) and two-time All-American Taylor Collins (Jr., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) came in a tie for 21st place (83-69-79-78-309) to conclude the scoring for Nova Southeastern. The Sharks were the only team to have three players place in the top-10 and to have all five players place among the top-21.

Competing as an individual, Newberry’s Maria Luz Besio came in second place (71-68-69-82-290) after leading for the first three rounds. Rollins’ Joanna Coe came in third place (74-70-77-74-295), 11 strokes behind Changkija.

– Courtesy NSU Athletics