9.21.2011

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University finished second at the Yale Intercollegiate in women's golf last weekend, September 12-14, at The Course at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut. The Lancers posted 297-304-309--910 for their runner-up effort among 16 teams.  Seventh-year head coach Ali Wright and her program will take nearly two weeks off before returning to action Sept. 30-October 2 at the 54-hole Nittany Lion Invitational hosted by Penn State University on the Penn State Blue Course in State College, Pennsylvania.

A Look Back At The Yale Women's Intercollegiate
Junior Ariel Witmer|North Lima, Ohio (South Range) led Longwood with her collegiate-best rounds of 70-74-77--221 that placed her third in the field of 78 at the 6,000-yard, par 72 layout. She was followed closely by sophomore Amanda Steinhagen|Oak Hill (Oakton) (71-75-77--223, t-5th), along with fifth-year senior Kameron Carter|Bassett (Bassett) (77-79-79--235, t-24th), junior Ha Lee|Hagerstown, Md. (Smithsburg) (79-82-76--237, t-31st), and sophomore Hannah Pierce|King George (King George) (83-76-79--238, t-36th).  Pierce posted a new collegiate-best for 54-holes as well.  Harvard University won the event with its 894 (292-296-306), and Yale's Seo Hee Moon took individual medalist honors via a scorecard playoff at two-over-par 69-74-75--218, after tying with Harvard's Tiffany Lim (70-74-74--218). Witmer's opening round of 70 tied for the second-best round of the tournament, while Steinhagen's first-day round of 71 was the fifth-best individual round of the event.

Head Coach Ali Wright
“We faced some of the nation's most talented players from Harvard and Yale at The Course at Yale.  Our individuals played well against the competition and gained confidence in their own abilities.

“We have always played well at the Penn State Golf Course.  I look forward to our team competing for the top spot in the event.”

In The Record Book
Ariel Witmer tied for the third-best 54-hole score in school history with her five-over-par 70-74-77--221, matching that most-recently posted by Kara Spence and teammate Kameron Carter at the same tournament in 2007.  Her two-under round of 70 tied as the fifth-best low round, last attained by, ironically, Spence and Carter in 2008, though at different events that year.  Witmer's 36-hole score of even-par 70-74--144 tied the seventh-best in program history.

Little Separation At The Top | Season Statistics
Through two tournaments and six rounds of golf, only three shots separate the top two golfers so far for Longwood.  Amanda Steinhagen (447) is averaging 74.50 with a low round of 71.  Ariel Witmer (450) is averaging 75.00 with the team's low round of 70.  Kameron Carter (461) follows with her average of 76.83 with a low round of 73, along with Ha Lee (471-78.50, 74) and Hannah Pierce (479-79.83, 74).  The Lancers are averaging 303.50 as a team through two events, and while early, ahead of the school-record scoring average of 307.50 during 2010-11 that included one tournament win and a runner-up finish among nine top-10 team efforts overall with 26 top-20 individual finishes.

A Look At The Nittany Lion Invitational
The three-day, 54-hole tournament will include 18 holes each on Friday, Sept. 30, Saturday, Oct. 1, and Sunday, Oct. 2.  The Penn State Blue Course will play approximately 6,200-yards and is a par 72 layout.  Penn State is the defending champion after posting a 901 last year.  Longwood finished seventh among 17 teams in the event a year ago with its 933.  Ariel Witmer tied for 10th last fall with rounds of 76-77-74--227.

National Golf Coaches Association (NGCA) Academic Awards
Graduate Brooke Mallory along with Hannah Pierce and Amanda Steinhagen were named to the 2010-11 All-American Scholar Team by the NGCA. The trio was among the 566 collegiate women's golfers nationwide to achieve this prestigious academic honor with a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.50. Mallory earned the distinction for the fourth consecutive year, while Pierce and Steinhagen were recognized for the first time.

Perfect NCAA Academic Progress Rate
Longwood posted a perfect score of 1,000 in the spring 2011 release of the multi-year NCAA Division I APR. It marked the fourth-straight year that women's golf has been perfect in posting a multi-year APR score within the top-10 percent of all Division I women's golf teams.

Up Next
Longwood will participate in the East Carolina Intercollegiate Oct. 10-11, a 54-hole tournament at the Greenville Country Club in Greenville, North Carolina.