Quinnipiac University
Navy Spring Invitational
QU Women's Golf Travels to Navy Invitational for Final Regular Season Tournament
4/5/2018 1:12:00 PM | Women's Golf
COURSE INFORMATION
- Naval Academy Golf Club - Annapolis, Md. - Par 72 (6.085 yards)
- Live Scoring: BirdieFire.com
TEE TIMES AND FORMAT
36 hole (18-18-18), Stroke Play
- Friday, April 6 -- First Round -- 1:30 p.m. (Both 1 and 10)
- Sunday, April 8 -- Second Round -- 8:30 a.m. (shotgun)
Navy, Bucknell, Central Connecticut State, Delaware State, Lehigh, Monmouth, Quinnipiac, Towson, Yale
LAST TIME OUT
The Quinnipiac women's golf team ended up in fourth place out of 12 teams, while freshman Queenie Lai ended up in a tie for fifth (out of 70), as the Bobcats finished up the three-day Babs Steffens Hatter Collegiate on Monday, March 26 at the DeBary Country Club. Junior Julia Kemmling shot a 77 for the second day in a row to finish in a tie for 18th overall with a three-day 236.
THREE STRAIGHT MAAC HONORS FOR LAI
Freshman Queenie Lai has won the MAAC Women's Golfer of the Week honor for each of the last three weeks she has played. Most recently, she captured the honor after leading the Bobcats with a fifth-place finish with a 229 (75-78-76) at the Babs Steffens Hatter Collegiate, hosted by Stetson. She previously earned it by finishing tied for third at the Low Country Intercollegiate out of 76 competitors with a 76-75-151. Earlier on the same trip, she earned her first award by coming in tied for sixth with a 78-75-153 at the Benbow Invitational in Jacksonville, Florida.
DOMINATING THE AWARDS
The three straight MAAC honors for freshman Queenie Lai (see above) have actually made it four straight weeks that the Bobcats have earned the MAAC Women's Golfer of the Week award when they have competed. On Feb. 28, sophomore Alexandra Sazhin earned the distinction after a strong showing (13th out of over 200 competitors) at the Kiaweh Island Invitational. The Bobcats were idle the week of March 7 and again last week, when they did not have a nominee.
BOBCATS TAKE THIRD AT BENBOW INVITATIONAL
The Bobcats finished third overall out of nine teams at the Benbow Invitational on March 12-13, finishing with a two-day 616, 10 shots behind leader St. John's and four shots behind host Butler. Alexandra Sazhin finished fifth overall among individuals with a 76-76-152, while freshman Queenie Lai tied for sixth with a 78-75-153. Alexandra Sazhin and Queenie Lai each had eagles, with Sazhin holing hers in the first round Monday and Lai getting hers Tuesday in the second round. They were the second and third eagles for the Bobcats in 2017-18, after Julia Kemmling had one in the fall.
SAZHIN BREAKS SINGLE-SEASON BIRDIE RECORD
Sophomore Alexandra Sazhin moved into the top spot in the Quinnipiac record books on Sunday when she bagged three birdies in the second round of the Low Country Intercollegiate. That gave her 46 on the season, surpassing the old school record of 44, which was set by current junior Luciana Tobia-Palza as a freshman in 2015-16. Sazhin currently has 49 to lead the Bobcats, while Queenie Lai is up to 37 and Tobia-Palza has 36.
CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED
Last week, Head Coach John O'Connor announced his captains for the spring season, junior Julia Kemmling and junior Luciana Tobia-Palza. "Julia and Luciana both exemplify teamwork, focus, desire to win and leadership," said O'Connor. "They come to practice ready to work hard with a positive attitude and a desire to improve the team and make history. Both of these golfers are very proud to be a part of Quinnipiac and the golf team. Julia and Lu are always willing to help the younger golfers on the golf course, but more importantly how to make the most of their time at Quinnipiac University. I'm extremely proud to announce Lu and Julia as the golf team captains."
FALL WRAP-UP
The Bobcats were one of four NCAA Division I teams in the country to win three tournaments after winning the Dartmouth Invitational, the Hartford Invitational and the St. John's Invitational. Quinnipiac completed the first semester with its highest rating in program history at 124, just ahead of Albany (145), the Bobcats' biggest threat to a possible three-peat.
MAAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL FAVORITES
The Quinnipiac University women's golf team was picked as the favorite to win the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in 2018, the league announced via social media on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. If the Bobcats can pull it off, they would three-peat as conference champions. The Bobcats enter the spring semester as back-to-back MAAC champions and NCAA Tournament participants.
GOLF WEEK.COM PRESEASON FAVORITES
Golfweek.com tabbed the Quinnipiac women's golf team as the preseason favorite to win the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the website announced Monday, Feb. 5, 2018.
THE BOBCATS AT THE TOP
Three-time conference Coach of the Year John O'Connor's squad features the last two MAAC Players and Rookies of the Year in Luciana Tobia-Palza, who earned both awards in 2016, and Alexandra Sazhin, who collected both honors last season. In addition, Julia Kemmling has earned All-MAAC honors in each of the last two seasons with back-to-back top 10 finishes at the conference tournament. Estefania Morales also earned all-conference honors in 2017.
UP NEXT
Quinnipiac will next be in action in two weeks when it travels to Florida to try to defend its MAAC Championship.
Players Mentioned
