Lauren Jones was a freshman at Episcopal Academy when the Churchwomen won the Inter-Ac League crown for the first time in program history in 2018. EA has ruled the Inter-Ac ever since.
So, it probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see Jones, a sophomore, helping Richmond win the team crown for the first time since 2018 in the Patriot League Championship, which wrapped up April 23rd on the Spiders’ home course, Independence Golf Course in Midlothian, Va.
Jones and her Richmond teammates will represent the Patriot League in the NCAA’s Raleigh Regional as the 12th seed when the regionals tee off all around the country May 8.
Richmond’s final round of 1-under-par 287 over the 6,100-yard, par-72 Independence layout matched the single-round program record and the Spiders’ winning total of 10-over 874 was a program record.
Richmond opened with a 5-over 293 and added a 6-over 294 in the second round before its under-par finish gave it a 16-shot victory over Boston University. The Spiders’ final-round 287, their 54-hole total of 874 and their 16-shot margin of victory were all Patriot League Championship records.
BU, behind individual champion Christy Chen, a sophomore from China, struggled a little in the opening round with a 304 and added a 6-over 294 in the second round before closing with a solid 4-over 292 to earn runnerup honors with a 26-over 890 total.
After opening with a 2-over 74, Chen dominated the individual chase with back-to-back 3-under 69s in the final two rounds that gave her a 4-under 212 total, five shots clear of Richmond’s Vicky Zhu, a senior from China who was the runnerup with a 1-over 217 total. A storm late in the day of the second round forced a suspension of play and the second round was completed early the day of the final round April 23rd.
Lehigh was another five shots behind BU in third place with a 31-over 895 total as the Mountain Hawks opened with a 10-over 298, added an 8-over 296 in the second round and closed with a 301.
Navy finished a shot behind Lehigh in fourth place in the six-team field with a 32-over 896 total as the Mids bounced back from an opening-round 306 with a solid 4-over 292 in the second round and a final round of 10-over 298.
Vicky Zhu led the way for Richmond with her runnerup individual finish as she opened with a 2-over 74, added a 1-over 73 in the second round and closed with the first sub-par score of her career with the Spiders, a 2-under 70 that got her to 1-over.
Vicky Zhu’s teammates, Olivia Wilkie, a freshman from Canada, and Rory Weinfurther, a junior from Fayetteville, Ga., were right on her heels as they finished in a tie for third place, a shot behind their teammate at 2-over 218.
Wilkie and Weinfurther were just three shots behind Chen following two rounds as Wilkie carded a 2-over 74 in the second round after matching par in the opening round with a 72 and Weinfurther was ahead of the pack with her opening round of 1-under 71 before adding a 3-over 75 in the second round. Wilkie and Weinfurther then both matched par in the final round, each recording a 72.
Jones, a product of the junior program at Merion Golf Club, gave Richmond a fourth player in the top 10 as she finished alone in 10th place with a 7-over 223 total. Jones, the Inter-Ac’s individual champion at French Creek Golf Club as a senior in 2021, got a little better each round as she opened with a 4-over 76, added a 2-over 74 in the second round and closed with a solid 1-over 73.
Muskan Uppal, a senior from Cornelius, N.C., finished in the group tied for 14th place with a 229 total as she sandwiched a solid 1-over 73 in the second round with a pair of 6-over 78s.
The Patriot League allowed teams to have six players, counting four, for the league championship, and freshman Hannah Lydic, who starred scholastically at Delaware’s Sussex Academy, rounded out the Richmond lineup as she finished alone in 20th place with a 232 total.
Lydic, the Patriot League’s Rookie of the Year, has been Richmond’s best player for much of the wraparound 2022-2023 season. She struggled a little by her standards in the Patriot League Championship, but was still solid. Lydic added a 79 in the second round to her opening round of 6-over 78 before closing with her best round of the weekend, a 3-over 75.
BU’s Alice Fan, a senior from Australia, and Lehigh’s Yuki Zhu, a freshman from China, finished in a tie for fifth place in the individual standings at 3-over 219, a shot behind the Richmond duo of Wilkie and Weinfurther.
After opening with a 76, Fan matched the low round of the tournament with her 3-under 69 in the second round before finishing up with a 2-over 74. After opening with a 2-over 74, Yuki Zhu got it in under par with a 2-under 70 in the second round before closing with a 75.
Bucknell freshman Paige Richter, who capped her tremendous scholastic career at Camp Hill by winning the PIAA Class AA Championship as a senior in 2021, shared seventh place with Lehigh’s Madison Pineda, a sophomore from San Carlos, Calif., each landing on 4-over 220.
Richter opened with a 1-over 73 and added a 75 in the second round before matching par in the final round with a 72. Pineda was just a shot out of the lead going into the final round after she added a 1-under 71 in the second round to her opening round of 1-over 73. Pineda then finished up with a 4-over 76.
Navy was led by Mara Hirtle, a junior from Pinehurst, N.C. who finished alone in ninth place with a 5-over 221 total. After opening with a 76, Hirtle registered a 1-under 71 in the second round before closing with a 2-over 74.
Lehigh also got a strong showing from freshman Evelyn Wong, the runnerup in the PIAA Class AAA Championship as a senior at Emmaus in 2021 who finished among the group tied for 14th place with a 229 total. After opening with a 4-over 76, Wong struggled a little in the second round with a 79 before finishing up with a solid 2-over 74.
Bucknell finished in fifth place with a 43-over 907 total and, in addition to Richter, the 2021 Class AA state champion at Camp Hill, the Bison lineup included some other recent standouts on the Pennsylvania scholastic scene.
Senior Tatum McKelvey, a three-time PIAA Class AA qualifier at Sewickley Academy, finished alone in 13th place with a 228 total. After opening with a 79, McKelvey added a 75 in the second round before closing with a solid 2-over 74.
Senior Morgan Sohosky, who was a four-time PIAA Class AA qualifier at Bloomsburg, finished in the group tied for 14th place with a 229 total. After opening with a 78, Sohosky added a 76 in the second round before finishing up with her best round of the weekend, a 3-over 75.
Sophomore Tara Thomas, a PIAA Class AA qualifier in 2020 with Villa Maria Academy in Erie (which apparently closed last year), finished in 34th place with a 256 total. After opening with an 87, Thomas carded her best round of the weekend, an 83, in the second round before closing with an 86.
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