Nova Southeastern scored a 304 for a 894 total and a four-stroke victory for the Super Region 2 title.
PENSACOLA, Fla. – Fifth-ranked Nova Southeastern remained consistent on the final day of the NCAA Division II Women’s Golf Super Region 2 Championship to claim the team title at Marcus Pointe Golf Club Wednesday.
After posting the low round of the tournament the previous two days, NSU had to settle for second-best by a shot on Wednesday, firing a 304 for a 894 total and a four-stroke victory. No. 1 Rollins and No. 7 Saint Leo were the other two teams to emerge from the toughest region in the country and qualify for the NCAA Championship in Denver in two weeks.
The Sharks, who won four NCAA Division II titles from 2009-12, were solid down the stretch, playing the back nine at 1-over-par, while the other contenders in Rollins (6-over) and Saint Leo (12-over) were unable to gain ground.
“I knew if we came here and played like we knew how could play, we would be in contention to win,” NSU head coach Amanda Brown said. “Our goal was to be ourselves despite it being the regional championship and the pressure that goes along with that. And we accomplished that. We stayed relaxed and played our game. We did a great job of allowing our full potential to show.”
That potential came through in a big way with sophomore Jamie Freedman and freshman Aldana Foigel finishing the championship with the two lowest 54-hole scores at 218. Freedman claimed her first collegiate victory with a par on the second playoff hole.
West Florida sophomore Paloma Vaccaro and Florida Tech senior Felicia Leftinger tied for third at 220 and both played their way into the NCAA Championship as one of the three highest finishing individuals not on an advancing team. Montevallo junior Elaine Wood secured the third individual bid after tying for fifth at 222.
No. 8 UWF was the first team on the outside looking with a final round 309 that put the host team at 911, nine strokes behind third place. No. 4 Montevallo was fifth at 916 after a final round 304.
The finals will be held May 18-21, at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora, Colorado as part of the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival.
Notes: NSU is making its eighth NCAA Championships appearance in the last nine years … Rollins will be participating in its NCAA-record 14th NCAA finals … Saint Leo has now qualified for the national tournament for the first time in program history after sending an individual in two of the past four years … Paloma Vaccaro is the third UWF qualifier in school history and the second under fourth-year head coach Bryan Clarke … Felicia Leftinger is the fourth Panther to qualify for nationals … This marks the third-consecutive year that a Florida Tech student-athlete has qualified as an individual for the NCAA Championships.
